


The Heart Wants

by Lollipoplou



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Action, Adventure, Alternate Universe, Angst, Drama, Fights, Fluff and Angst, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, I like high action fanfiction, Langst, M/M, Mutual Pining, Pining, Pining Keith (Voltron), Pining Lance (Voltron), Protective Keith (Voltron), Protective Lance (Voltron), Romance, Self-Indulgent, broganes, daemon, daemon AU, klance, klance is cannon king, klangst, pining lance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-12
Updated: 2018-09-09
Packaged: 2019-03-17 09:26:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 33,810
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13656168
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lollipoplou/pseuds/Lollipoplou
Summary: Voltron Daemon AU. Klance - Dark creatures of the Rift loom, hungry for the Heart of Voltron. After a highstakes mission gone wrong, leaving Lance critically injured, the paladins  must make their hardest decision yet. Can they really trust Prince Lotor, son of Zarkon, with the life of the blue paladin? What scheme is Lotor plotting as he experiments with dangerous quintessence?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Ayo everyone! Birthday today, and I decided to give you all a gift with a new Voltron AU. This fic was heavily inspired from tumblr's @x-i-l-verify's Daemon AU headcannons, with a few minor tweaks here and there. 
> 
> This fic will actually be replacing my other Voltron fic, 'You, Me, and the Glass Between Us'. My reasoning behind the decision being it a classic case of when you plan bigger than you are actually able to write. And so I decided to essentially rewrite it as this fic. This fic will feature all of the same elements as my other fic, all the planned plot points and bunnies that I wanted for that fic included. I've just condensed it, cut out the fat, and now you'll be getting long, fast-paced, reasonable amount of chapters. I consider this to be of the benefit of both you and I. 
> 
> Now, without further ado, I present you the first chapter of my Voltron Daemon AU, 'The Heart Wants', 
> 
> Enjoy!

Voltron Daemon AU

‘Paladins, go!’ Allura cried, and the defenders of the universe charged as one down the Green Lion’s ramp. Rifle raised, Lance rushed to the nearest cover of crates before he began to return fire. There must of been more than twenty Galra sentries crammed into the airlock chamber, but at the rate that his teammates were tearing through them, he knew there wouldn’t be for much longer.

‘Above you!’ Nuejia warned, and Lance spun to gun down the flanking sentry that was aiming for his back. 

‘Thanks gorgeous.’ He grinned, giving a quick scratch under her chin, his white-wagtail daemon preening her plume with pride, before refocusing back on the fight. 

Unsurprisingly, Keith and Shiro were at the forefront of the charge, taking the blunt of the assault and scattering the sentries for Allura, Pidge and Hunk to pick off. Their daemons, Keith’s golden-eagle and Shiro’s gigantic pyrenean mountain dog, along with Allura’s lioness, were their own forces of nature as they tore apart sentries limb from limb. Such awe-inspiring displays always made Lance feel a ping of envy, thinking how it would be if Nuejia had taken a more aggressive form. If she were some kind of owl, or any bird with talons or great speed, then he’d be just as comfortable as Keith about unleashing her onto the battlefield, rather than keeping her close in the collar of his armour. Even Pidge’s daemon, Vexenon—who hadn’t settled yet—was able to get in on the fun, sprinting as a cheetah at the Green Paladin’s feet. 

As the last of sentries were put down, Nuejia gave a soft beck at his neck, ‘You’d like me more if I was an eagle like Asperatia, wouldn’t you?’

Lance shook his head, ignoring how his gut twisted when in his peripheral, he saw Keith’s daemon snatch up his thrown knife from a sentry’s chest and return it to his hand, ‘What? Nuejia, I love you. I wouldn’t change you for anything.’

‘Even a dragon? There was a time when you were gunning for me to be a dragon.’

Lance gave her another scratch that made her puff up into a little ball of fluff, ‘And I’ve never gotten over it,’ He dramatically sighed and yelped when she stabbed him with her beak. ‘I’m joking! I’m joking!’

‘That, actually wasn’t as many guards as I was expecting.’ Hunk remarked and prodded the smoking head of a sentry with his gatling gun as everyone gathered around. 

‘Yeah, but I mean, this is a pretty big factory so they’re probably just spread out,’ Pidge said with a shrug and checked her wrist device, ‘Even if I hadn’t disabled the alarms in this area, it’d probably of taken them a while to get here.’

‘Luckily that’s not the case,’ Shiro smiled before his expression turned serious, ‘even so, everyone be on your guard from here on out. Stealth is imperative to this mission until we can find and destroy the empire’s stash of quintessence they’re got going here. If we do this, then the Galra controlled planets in this solar system will be cut off from their energy supplies, and we’ll be one step closer to liberating them.’

‘Is everyone in understanding of the plan?’ Allura asked, and everyone nodded. ‘Good. Then whilst Pidge sneaks into the control room, Hunk, Shiro and I will make our way to the main storage chamber. Keith and Lance, you will head to the production and refinery rooms so that they cannot resupply after we are done.’

‘Got it,’ Keith nodded and then looked to Lance before motioning for the door over his right shoulder. ‘Coming?’

‘Right next to you mullet,’ Lance smirked, and set off at jog after him.

The hallway was dim, barely lit by the usual violet/purple the Galra used on anything. As Lance and Keith’s footsteps padded down the hallway, they crouched down when they neared it’s end corner. Shuffling with his back pressed against the wall, Lance peeked around to see what they were up against.

At the end of the hallway was a set of heavy-duty doors that Pidge had told them would lead to the production line of the factory, a red galra-hand scanner to the side. Only problem was, there were six sentries guarding the door alone, and the narrowness of the hallway meant that there wouldn’t be much room to move. It’d be way too easy for one of the sentries to get lucky with a shot if they opened fire.

‘How many?’ Keith whispered.

‘Six. But it’s pretty tight in there.’ Lance replied with a frown. 

Keith cocked his head at him, Asperatia at his feet doing the same, ‘You got a plan?’ 

Lance couldn’t help the surprised lift of his brows. ‘Actually, I do,’ He grinned, and looked down to Nuejia balanced on his knee, ‘Showtime Nuejia!’

Nuejia shook out her feathers with pride before she burst into a colourful chorus of lilt birdsong. There was the sound of robotic whirring, and then four sets of feet began to march toward them.

‘Get ready.’ Lance hissed before he fell back a distance and readied his gun. Keith tightened his grip around his knife, and when the sentries rounded the corner, he plunged it into the chest of the closest and Lance opened fire. Three head-shots, and before they clattered to the floor, Keith had already raced around the corner. Lance skidded forward in time to see Keith’s Mamora blade bury itself into the forehead of one of the remaining sentries whilst Asperatia’s talons raked into the other.

‘Nice plan.’ Keith smiled at him as Lance joined him at the door, the former Red Paladin touching his hand to the scanner to have the door grind open.

* * *

 

‘I try.’ Lance winked back at him, and Keith was thankful for the low light as heat flushed his cheeks. He cleared his throat at the knowing side look Asperatia shot him as she flew ahead to survey the new room.

The chamber appeared to be a small quintessence storage unit, lined by ceiling-to-floor glass cylinders of glowing purple that faintly hummed. One wall was a window looking down onto a production line, with more Galra sentries and drones overseeing the smelting cauldrons of bubbling  white-hot metal. With her keen eyes, Asperatia deemed it safe to approach with a low caw.

There was a brief flash of light, and Keith glanced over his shoulder from checking the other door to see Lance with his bayard in it’s sniper rifle form, the scope level to his eye.

‘This is your eye in the sky reporting in. I count twenty-four sentries and ten drones in the smelting room.’ He said and the comms channel crackled with static.

‘Cool. Okay, Shiro, Hunk and Allura are outside waiting to breach. Eye in the sky, I’m gonna need you and Keith to move up to the quintessence refinery and take it out. It should be in the next hallway over.’ Pidge replied and Keith could hear the soft bleeps of her fingertips dancing on her virtual keyboard.

‘Got it. Thanks Pidge,’ Lance confirmed and looked to Keith. ‘Let’s go.’

Keith nodded and stepped aside to let Lance go through the door first, giving a shy smile to Nuejia when she chirped at him and took flight alongside Asperatia; the white wagtail’s wings fluttering hard to keep up with the smooth, broad strokes of the eagle; where Asperatia swooped and glided, Nuejia darted and dipped.

It made Keith’s heart quicken whenever he saw their daemons act this way: the flights of fancy, the way Nuejia twisted in a playful display of aerial acrobats. Whilst Keith knew he sometimes struggled to express his feelings, Asperatia more than picked up his slack. If one were to watch closely enough, then they would notice how the times when Asperatia chose to groom her fine feathers, it would always be in the presence of Nuejia. She would leave her collected treasures and kills in places she knew Lance would find. Keith had once gotten an ear chewing when Lance had discovered a slug alien’s corpse on his pillow.

‘That was one time,’ Asperatia bristled after she looped back around to fly alongside him. ‘It wasn’t as though you were going to make a move.’

‘We are not talking about this now.’ Keith hissed through his teeth, glancing forward to Lance who was, fortunately, too distracted conversing with his own daemon on his shoulder to listen in on their conversation.

Asperatia sent a throb of frustration through their bond, ‘I want her, Keith. Can you not see how she dances for me? How beautifully she sings? She’s perfect. It makes me want to—’

‘Fine! Okay, just—sh! I’ll talk to him, okay?’ Keith sighed with a slump of his shoulders before he picked up the pace and caught up with Lance. ‘Uh, hey.’

‘Hey man,’ Lance smiled back, his blue eyes twinkling as he planted a kiss on his daemon and threw her up into the air. ‘What’s up?’

‘Was, um— so, the mission? You thinking—what, what are you thinking about the mission?’ Keith asked and internally winced. God, that’s what he was opening with? Why was he so bad at this? He didn’t want to talk about the stupid mission, he wanted to get straight to the good bit. Teasing jabs, playful banter. That bit! 

‘Okay, I guess. Just ready for it to be over, you know?’ Lance mused, and Keith wanted to pull his hair out. He wanted the mission to be over? They’d been paired for this mission. What did that mean? Did Lance not enjoy his company? Was he bored—was this conversation boring him? Was— 

‘Hunk was going on about making waffles before we left, and it’s like all I’ve been able to think about.’ Lance continued, oblivious to Keith’s mental meltdown skidding to a stop, and how he sighed out with relief.

‘Oh, right.’

‘Hey, talking of food, what’s like, the strangest thing you’ve ever eaten? I’m talking, ‘chewed and swallowed’ eaten. You can’t of just held it in your mouth.’ Lance asked with glint in his eye. 

‘Uh,’ Keith scratched his nose as he thought back, ‘I dunno. Maybe a gecko back on Earth?’

Lance’s jaw dropped, ‘You ate a lizard?!’

‘ _Gecko_. I’d ran out of food and the Garrison was on lockdown that day. I was desperate, okay?’

‘Oh my god, Keith Kogane ate a quizacking _lizard_.’

‘I caught it for him.’ Asperatia smirked as she glided onto Keith’s shoulder plate, and Lance’s cheeks darkened, dipping his head so slightly.

‘O-Oh—oh, cool, cool. Cool,’ He stammered before sheepishly making eye contact. Keith didn’t blame Lance for his surprise. While it wasn’t taboo to address another person’s daemon, like it was to touch them without permission, it wasn’t exactly common. Directly interacting with another person’s daemon was considered so what as an acute form of intimacy. ‘So uh, Asperatia, do you mind if I ask a personal question?’ 

‘Shoot sharpshooter.’ She bat back, and Keith had never felt so betrayed. Where had that line been when she’d watched him make an idiot out of himself?

Lance gave an adorable nervous laugh, ‘Okay, okay, so like, I’ve noticed how you and Keith can be far away from each other. Like, on different sides of the Castle far. How’d the heck you do it?’

‘Honestly, I don’t know. Our best guess is that it has something to do with Keith’s galra heritage.’ Asperatia explained before she raised her wings to groom her soft, inner feathers. The display made Nuejia perk up and endearingly wag her tail as her species namesake would have her.

‘Man, no fair. You get a cool blade, _and_ a long distance daemon thingy? That’s cool enough to nearly make up for the mullet.’ Lance smirked.

Keith rolled his eyes, ‘Wow. Going back to my hair. How original. Learn some new lines.’

‘Ironic coming from you.’ Asperatia silently laughed in his head.

‘Why? It’s an oldie, but it’s a goldie!’ The Red Paladin teased, elbowing Keith in ribs as they came to the end of hallway. The mischievous blue glint in his eye killed off the angry words ready to fly from Keith’s tongue, causing his brain to force a reboot.

‘Let’s—just focus on the mission. We have to destroy what’s inside, right?’

‘Right,’ Lance nodded and grinned as Keith placed his palm over the door’s scanner. ‘Bet I can blow up more stuff than you.’

‘I’ll take that bet.’ Keith chuckled as the doors swished open.

The only light in the refinery chamber came from the gigantic vials of yellow and purple quintessence. Ice trickled down Keith’s spine as the memory of the last time he’d been in a similar room resurfaced to make the hand that had been burnt tingle. The shadows of the room loomed, seeming to almost breathe in and out. On his shoulder, Asperatia stiffly readied her wings for flight. Something was off about the room, they could both feel it. 

‘Dude, what are you waiting for?’ Lance hissed and pointed to the control panel attached to the largest quintessence container. ‘Let’s turn up the heat and book it before things go boom.’

‘Wait, Lance. I don’t like this.’ Keith frowned, goosebumps raised on the back of his neck. He strained his ears, listening for any movement, any hint of any kind that something was wrong like his gut was screaming at him was.

‘What?’

‘Something doesn’t feel right. We should go back, get a new plan.’

‘We’re not getting a new plan! We’ve come this far, we can’t turn back now.’ Nuejia’s musical voice cried, and Lance nodded with a set look.

‘Yeah, Nuejia’s right Keith. Everyone’s counting on us. If you gotta bad feeling, then I trust you on that. If we move fast—’

But Keith stopped listening when the air crackled and the same mask and dark cloak he knew too well materialised behind Lance in a blink.

‘Lance!’ His warning came too late as the druid’s claws gripped around the paladin’s neck and threw him into the shelves stored with smaller vials of quintessence. Lance choked a strangled cry as he crumpled to the ground, limbs shaking as he struggled to raise.

‘Keith!’ Asperatia snapped him back to the moment and launched, swooping left as Keith was forced to dive right to avoid the arch of dark lightning sparking from the druid’s fingertips. Up again, Keith drew his blade and charged, feinting to the side when the druid drew back for a second strike. Above, Asperatia’s war screech was piercing as she banked hard back around and sank her talons to rip into fabric and flesh.

The druid gave a withered howl as it tried to shake itself free, it’s writhing only causing the bloody gnash to carve in deeper. Asperatia released her deadly grip when the druid slashed at her, and Keith saw his chance. Knuckles white around his knife, he sprinted at his opponent, only to stumble to a halt when it vanished with a wisp of smoke.

‘Rafters!’ Asperatia shouted and Keith ducked at the quintessence vial whistling for his head. The druid shifted away when Asperatia plunged for another assault, and then suddenly stilled, staring down at Keith.

Keith pulled his lips back to bare his teeth at it, as he had seen the other Blades do when they fought unmasked. He braced himself to dodge when the druid raised it’s crackling claws. Only, it wasn’t him that it thrust its dark energy at.

Lance shrieked as the shelf above himself exploded and shards of glass and metal rained down upon him, his screams pitching when the spilt corrupted quintessence burnt through to his skin like acid.

‘NO!’ Keith roared and hurled his blade. The druid raised it’s arm, anticipating the blow. But what it had not anticipated, was Asperatia to snatch the spinning blade out of the air, tilt sharp in a hairpin turn to cleave it’s head from it’s shoulders.

Neither paused to celebrate their victory as the druid’s mask clattered to the floor with it’s head, the body slumping down after, but instead raced to their now silent teammate’s side.

‘Lance! Lance, wake up! Lance!’ Keith yelled as he fell to his knees, ignoring the hiss of the quintessence trying to dissolve through his armour as he pushed aside the debris covering his friend. 

Where it wasn’t dark red with his own blood—courtesy of the glass shards cutting into him—, Lance’s skin was nauseatingly pale. Great patches of his flight suit had been burnt through to scorch everywhere that wasn’t protected by his amour. Keith thanked the small miracle that Lance’s helmet was sealed over to protect his face. 

‘Lance! Keith! What’s happening?’ Allura’s voice popped with static over the comms, the sounds of explosions and battle faint in the background.

‘It’s Lance, he’s—he’s hurt. We were fighting a druid, and he dropped a load of corrupted quintessence on Lance. He’s badly burnt.’

‘Is he breathing?!’

Keith tried not to gag at the smell of burning flesh as he scooped Lance up, cradling him into his arms. His fingers shook as they searched for a pulse, and found it weak and sluggish. A metre away, Nuejia spastically twitched on her back, and Asperatia flocked to her; clipping her beak and whining as she gently nudged the smaller daemon.

‘Yeah, yeah, he’s breathing, but he’s not conscious,’ Keith answered, jolting Lance in his grip so that he could carry him bridal style. He returned his blade to his sheath, and snatched up Lance’s deactivated bayed before he rose to his feet. ‘What do I do?’

‘Keith?’

‘Shiro!’

‘Keith, bring Lance to the loading bay. There’s a monorail that runs supplies to a medical and research faculty nearby. We’ll meet you there.’ Shiro ordered, and Keith nodded to Asperatia, who carefully closed her talons around Nuejia before she took wing, flying close as he ran back the way they came.

‘Keith,’ A voice rasped, and Keith looked down to see Lance staring back, his gaze glassy and half-lidded. His tongue peeked out to try to wet his cracked lips, and his adams-apple bobbed as he thickly gulped, ‘Keith.’

‘I’m here, I’m here buddy. Just stay with me, okay? You gotta stay awake for me.’ Keith panted, his legs burning as he pushed them harder. He’d escaped an exploding ship with a Blade twice his size on his shoulders, and yet, carrying Lance like this was a thousand times heavier.

‘Hurts,’ Lance moaned, his head flax as it bounced in the space between Keith’s neck and shoulder. ‘It hurts.’

‘I know. I know, but you gotta stay awake. We’re almost there, okay? Gonna get you fixed.’

‘I’m sorry Keith. I lied,’ Lance croaked, and Keith’s head snapped down with wide eyes. No. Oh god—please don’t tell him that he was starting to lose feeling. That meant—

‘I lied. I did remember.’

Keith blinked furiously to clear the tears that stung his eyes, his chest feeling as though someone had sucker punched his heart. ‘W-what?’

‘The bonding moment. I remember it.’

A line creased between Keith’s dark brows, ‘But you said—’

‘I lied, and I—’ Keith’s breath caught in his throat when Lance’s eyes rolled up. No! They were so close! Just one more corridor!

‘Lance!’ Keith shook him, and received a delayed quivered exhale.

‘Sorry.’ Lance breathed out like it was his last, just as the loading bay doors slid open.

‘ _SHIRO!_ ’ Keith felt the scream be ripped from his chest as it caved in on itself, hot tears breaking free down his face. His vision so blurred that he ran blind, skirting away when an unseen hand touched him.

‘Lance!’

‘Oh my god, Lance!’

Another hand, strong, grounding, familiar turned him by the shoulder, and Keith blinked his vision clear to see Shiro at his side. Behind him, Allura, Pidge, Hunk and their daemons gaped with horror, already aboard the monorail waiting.

‘This way!’ Shiro shouted, his daemon Miyuzuki bounding at his heels, half-dragging Keith to the carriage when his feet began to trip over themselves.

Asperatia dove inside ahead, immediately setting down the limp Nuejia as the other daemons leapt up to crowd around. The moment they all crossed the threshold, Hunk punched the engine and the monorail shot out of the bay, bursting free for the black and purple of the Galra base tunnels to be flooded with blinding white light from the blinding snowy world outside.

‘Let me look at him.’ Allura said, and Keith allowed her to pry Lance from him, only realising how badly he was convulsing now that Lances weight wasn’t there to steady him.

‘How did this happen?’ Pidge paled, her hands hovering to reach out before she changed her mind and clutched them close. Vexenon rapidly shifted through a series of forms, and then settled on a raccoon so that he could cup Nuejia in his black little paws.

‘Druid. Corrupted quintessence.’ Keith shuddered as he slumped on his ass. He opened his arms and Asperatia crushed herself to his chest, both of them pressing as hard as they could against each other. Desperate for touch, affection to soothe the edge off their distress.

Shiro supported Lance’s neck as he eased off his helmet and lifted an eyelid, inspecting the dilution of the pupil before he methodically snapped his fingers next to each ear. ‘Lance? Lance, if you can hear me, could you move your finger? Can you do that for me?’

Everyone watched with baited breath for the slightest twitch. Lance didn’t stir, his breaths coming out as tight wheezes.

‘Okay, he’s in a bad way, but we’re going to a liberated hospital right? They’ll help us.’ Hunk paced back and forth, rubbing his hands together. His brown eyes darted between Lance and Nuejia where his bumblebee daemon, Kala’ina, nuzzled into her dishevelled plume.

‘Yes, of course they will,’ Allura reassured and laid Lance’s body down, his head resting on Shiro’s lap before she stood up and approached the console at the end of the carriage. When Asperatia hopped out of his lap to join the other daemons in fawning over Nuejia, Keith wiped a hand down his face and crawled to Lance’s side.

Allura tapped at the console and then cleared her throat, ‘This is Princess Allura with the paladins of Voltron. We have an emergency, the Red Paladin Lance has been gravely injured in battle and requires immediate medical treatment. We need your help!’

When there was no answer, Allura began to repeat the message, putting together that they were likely out of range for it to go through to the faculty on the other end.

‘He’s gonna be alright Keith.’ Shiro muttered to Keith, Miyuzuki rubbing up against Asperatia who sorrowfully cooed as he did so.

Keith shivered and gave a curt nod, not trusting himself to keep it together if he opened his mouth. Had it just been the two of them, maybe— but it wasn’t. They were on a mission, and above all, Lance needed him. He had to keep it together for his sake.

‘Immediate medical treatment. We need your help!—’

‘Say please.’ A smooth voice cut through the channel that made everyone’s blood instantly run cold. Keith felt himself instinctively move to crouch over Lance, hovering, and stared at the console as though it were going to bite, his hand gripping the handle of his sheathed knife.

‘Lotor.’ Allura choked and curled her shaking hands into fists.

‘Princess Allura. It appears you have quite the dilemma on your hands. “Requires immediate medical treatment”? How perilous.’

‘What are we gonna do now?’ Pidge hissed, Vexenon transforming into a bobcat to bristle at the console. 

Hunk’s gaze dropped to Lance, and he winced at the charred blackness of his skin, ‘I—Guys, he needs healing. A pod, anything.’

‘Yeah, no quizack Hunk. I dunno if you put it together, Lotor is in control of the hospital.’ Keith snapped.

‘Keith,’ Hunk looked at him with a weighted, sad stare, ‘He _needs_ treatment.’

Keith started to his feet, his lips pulled back to demand how Hunk _still_ did not get it, when his jaw dropped; the pieces slotting together to make an image that made him want to vomit.

‘No,’ He growled, Asperatia rearing out her wings and joined him by hissing. ‘ _No._ ’

‘Look at him! If we don’t, he’ll die!’

‘We’d be handing him over on a silver platter! If he doesn’t go from the burns, Lotor will finish the job!’ 

‘Not necessarily.’ Allura lowly interjected, and Keith turned on her.

‘Lotor is the enemy! You’re asking us to trust the son of Zarkon with Lance’s life! No!’

‘As much as it kills me to say it Keith, Lance’s best chance of surviving is with Lotor. If he doesn’t get treatment within the next few hours, he's not gonna make it.’ Pidge reluctantly argued, and Keith could feel the corners of the net closing in.

No.

‘He’d be a prisoner.’ Shiro sighed, his gaze clouded and downcast.

‘He’d be alive.’ Hunk countered, and the floor began to sway beneath Keith’s feet.

_No._

‘THERE IS _NOTHING_ TO GUARANTEE THAT HE WILL HEAL HIM!’ Keith shrilled, voice cracking with hysteria. He shrank away when Shiro stood up to reach for him. ‘I—I can’t lose him. I can’t—’

‘Then you condemn him,’ Allura spat, and she may as well as stabbed Keith in the gut. ‘Lance will die because you. His blood, as well as the blood of countless others will be on your hands.’

The knife in his gut twisted, the threat transparent. If Keith refused to back down, if he became the reason behind Lance’s death, the others would never forgive him. They would never accept him back as the Red Paladin. Red wouldn’t accept him for killing her paladin. Keith would be shunned, exiled from the Blade of Mamora for destroying Voltron, maybe even executed. 

Without Voltron, the Galra Empire would tear down the coalition, obliterate the rebel forces. Worlds would burn, galaxies enslaved. Thousands of innocent lives lost, and yet, a small part of Keith—the darkest, most selfish part of him—whispered that none of it would compare to the hell that would be losing Lance.

“You’re choosing the lives of two people over the entire universe!”…The universe really had a sick sense of humour.

‘Keith,’ Shiro spoke up, and Keith wearily noted how he and Miyuzuki tensed to move, prepared for force if it came to it. ‘Your answer.’

‘I don’t want him to die,’ He rasped with a small shake of his head, unable to meet any of their eyes. ‘I—I don’t think I could take that.’

‘Come here buddy,’ Hunk sniffed and enveloped Keith in a crushing bearhug, ‘I know. I know, and we’re all with you. None of us like this, but if it means there’s a chance for Lance, then—’

‘We have to take it.’ Keith finished with a whisper, and buried his head into Hunk’s shoulder.

After a stretch of subdued silence, the console lit up again. ‘Gracious, how emotional. Are you composed enough to continue our conversation now? I believe the princess had something rather important to ask of me.’ Lotor hummed, and a hot spike of violation splintered through Keith. The purple bastard had heard every word.

‘Yes,’ Allura squared her jaw, ‘Prince Lotor, if we turn Lance over to you, will you help us?’

‘I am not a cruel man, princess. Unlike my father, I remember those that have done right by me. Your paladins once saved the life of one of my generals. And now, I will be happy to return the favour. I will waiting at the station to receive Lance, and then I will expect you to leave the way you came. I trust it is clear what will happen if there is any resistance to this.’

 ‘Crystal.’ Shiro gritted and the call cut. 

 His bones jelly, Keith pulled away from Hunk and slid down the wall, drawing his knees close and wrapping his arms around them. Powerless, pathetic, and thoroughly beaten to do anything but wait as the monorail raced across the icy wasteland to deliver the one he loved into the hands of his enemy.


	2. Chapter 2

Down on the platform of the faculty's monorail station, the snowfall drifting down, Lotor waited with his generals. Had you asked him if this was how he envisioned his plan to seize an outer-reach quintessence refinery, he would of truthfully answered, "No". Of course—that is to say—the original plan had gone as he had anticipated. It was what came after, that he had not. He couldn't of foreseen Princess Allura's distress message, and he hadn't expected to be receiving an injured paladin of Voltron for it. Coiled around his neck his white-headed capuchin monkey, Valerian, fixed his sights on the horizon.

Behind him, similarly wrapped in a cloak against the cold weather, Ezor giggled, 'I'm sorry, I just can't get over this. They are  _giving_ us one of them. Like, just hand delivering him right to us.'

Her daemon, a desert fox by the name of Camiya, yapped gleefully, and Einaris, Zethrid's large wart-hog daemon, stamped at the ground. 'It is going to be weird. I always imagined we'd have to give them a smack down before surrender became a thing.' Zethrid agreed.

'Yes. There is a certain sweet irony to it,' Lotor smiled and glanced over his shoulder to Acxa, who had curiously remained silent since they'd come down onto the platform, 'Is there not, Acxa?'

His first-in-command gave a curt, stoic nod. But from the way the german-shepherd daemon at her heel pawed and softly whined at the snow, Lotor knew she was not as composed as she would have him believe.

There was a resounding low hum as the monorail drew closer and pulled to a stop alongside the platform. The double doors slid open to reveal Princess Allura in her pink paladin armour, carrying a dark-skinned young man in her arms. By the blue accents of his matching armour, Lotor would of assumed that he was the Blue Paladin, had he not already been identified as the red one.

The princess looked miserable as she stepped out onto the platform, the tail of her lioness daemon drooping low as she followed. As she made her way toward them, over her shoulder, Lotor spied the other paladins of Voltron.

Two faces he immediately recognised as was the former champion, now Black Paladin, and his beast of daemon; vicious and lethal arena gladiators the pair of them. To the mans left were the Yellow and Green paladins, the former of a rather impressive size and build, whilst the latter was a smaller, bespectacled youth. Her daemon had not settled, evidenced by the rapid change of forms between that of a emerald dragonfly, and a poisonous green frog atop her helmet.

Curiously enough, there was a Blade of Mamora present at the Black Paladin's side. And as though to add to the intrigue, Lotor noted how remarkably human the Blade looked; so much so that the only inclinations of his galra heritage, other than his luxite blade and uniform, was the dark purple colouring of his eyes. Eyes, that did nothing to conceal a torrent of conflict, grief, and pained yearning. All of which, that was singularly focused on the unconscious paladin being brought to him.

Speaking of which. Lotor examined him closely as the princess approached. The paladin—Lance he recalled the princess naming him as—had suffered a severe burn on his abdomen, the affected skin enflamed and charred, with trails of blood and tissue fluid trickling from the wound. Past that, his complexion had a nauseous lack of colour to it, and from their new closeness, Lotor heard his breaths came out strained as tight wheezes.

Valerian grunted in his ear to look down, and Lotor lowered his stare to the quivering ball of white and black feathers tucked into the collar of the paladin's armour. His daemon rose to full alertness, his beady eyes transfixed on the injured bird. Grabby, black hands clenched and unclenched impatiently.

Princess Allura came to a stop before him, and her lioness bared her fangs menacingly, 'If you hurt him—'

'I gave you my word,' Lotor cut in with a step forward. The space between them was close now, so close that Lotor could have reached out and plucked the paladin from her arms. 'And I am nothing, if not a man of my word, princess. How did he get burnt?'

'Corrupted quintessence, inflicted by one of your father's druids.' The princess spat, and her daemon gave a rumbling growl.

'Ooh, nasty stuff.' Ezor remarked beneath her breath, and then, without warning, Valerian sprang. A blur of black and white, he snatched the little bird from the paladin, and returned to Lotor's shoulder in the same fluid movement.

The response was instant. The paladins blanched, starting forward as though they could have closed the distance in time. The princess' face contorted with outrage, but it was the Blade's reaction that seized Lotor's attention. The Black Paladin was attempting to restrain him, the young Blade thrashing and clawing in his hold. His lips were pulled back over his bared teeth—as if he had something intimating to show, no fangs or the like—, and his eyes burnt with hate as they locked into Lotor's.

How interesting. He had seen that same frenzied look before in bonded pairs…Was this paladin this Blade's desired mate? If that were the case,  _oh—_ the possibilities made Lotor's lips curl upwards.

Ignoring the princess' rigidness, Lotor looked down when Valerian offered out his prize for inspection. The daemon was a quaint thing, with a fine white plume that was still, somehow, beautiful despite the distressed moulting.

'Poor thing.' Lotor tutted, and noted the greedy glint in Valerian's eye as he clutched the small bird back to his chest. Didn't Lotor know that look; Valerian had just found the newest treasure to add to his hoard.

'Lotor—'

'Now, I ask that you give Lance to me before his health can deteriorate any further.' Lotor interrupted and held out his arms to accommodate.

'Allura!' Cried out the Blade when the princess reluctantly moved to hand over her precious cargo, making her hesitate.

'Tick tock Princess.' Lotor provoked, and had to carefully school his victorious smile when her face crumpled. She pressed Lance into Lotor's arms, and stepped away, clutching onto her own trembling hands, as though she were trying to prevent herself from snatching him back.

The paladin was light, weighing nothing to Lotor. Dark curls, crowned by clumps of white snowflakes, lolled against his breastplate. There was a low heat that sparked in Lotor's stomach. The paladin was admittedly rather attractive, and from what Ezor and Acxa had reported, he was quite the sharpshooter. Yes, Lotor quite looked forward to the time he would be able to see Lance restored to his full health.

'It is time to leave.' Acxa prompted at his shoulder, and Lotor nodded.

'Yes. See to it that they do. I will be attending to the paladin,' He said before giving a slight bow of his head to the princess. 'Until next time, Princess.'

* * *

'Come on, buddy. Just—let's calm down.'

'No! We—he needs us!' Keith lashed out, and Shiro grunted when his elbow dug into his ribs.

'Keith! Stop!' He ordered, and shifted his grip, forearms bulging as he grappled his friend back and wrestled him into the full-nelson hold.

'Shiro put me down!' Keith roared, feet flailing just off the ground as he bucked, unable to bring his arms down. Shiro pressed his lips against the strain, but held on, Miyuzuki faring likewise against Asperatia, pinning the shrieking golden-eagle with her sizeable bulk. 'We can—we can still—'

'Keith, I'm sorry, but there's nothing more we can do now.' Allura said as she stepped back onto the carriage, her fingers tangled into her lioness' coarse fur. The doors closed behind her, and the engine hummed as they pulled away from the station, back to the refinery they'd just come from.

'No. Not nothing. We get ready, we get back to the lions, and we form a blockade around the planet.' Pidge spoke up, her jaw set determined.

'We can stop Lotor from leaving after he heals Lance.' Hunk continued, a smile growing as he followed Pidge's train of thought.

'And trade their passage off planet for Lance's freedom.' Shiro finished, and slowly released Keith when his struggling stopped. Keith took a deep breath in—Shiro smiling to himself at how he silently mouthed, "Patience yields focus" beneath his breath—and released it, steadying himself.

'Then we don't have any time to waste.'

* * *

'Sir, the Green Lion has been sighted leaving the atmosphere. What are your next orders?' Acxa reported from the doorway. Lotor gave a thoughtful hum in response, only half-listening as he flicked the syringe he held to collect the air bubbles.

He was sat at the Red Paladin's bedside, having just stripped him to begin treatment. Through his examinations, Lotor had learnt a great deal about human anatomy, and was surprised by the human's resilience to concentrated quintessence. Most species would of long succumbed to the corruption by now, leading Lotor to tribute this resistance to the young man's status as a paladin of Voltron. His body must surely be attuned to the Lion's vast, near endless, supply of quintessence.

He had managed to stabilise Lance for now, a clear oxygen mask over his face, and various electrodes stuck to him hooked up to a monitor. The hologram screen displayed the human's vitals and medical data: heart rate, blood pressure, brain activity, white blood cell count, quintessence levels (which were exceedingly high), and so on. After Lotor had removed the pieces of glass from Lance's abdomen, he had stitched the openings closed with a surgically experienced hand. To finish, he'd applied thick coating of balm to soothe the enflamed skin, and bound it with bandages.

The respirator softly rasped as Lotor leant forward and took the paladin's lax arm to search for a vein. Resting on the pillow beside the sleeping beauty, Valerian was crouched over the unconscious white tag-tail, delicately carding his hands through the bird's feathers. When Acxa's daemon, Acario, had padded over for a closer look, the monkey had tightened his grip and hissed with bared fangs. The message clear: Stay back.  _Mine._

'Sir?'

'Hm?'

'My lord. I asked, what are your next orders?' Acxa said, shooting her daemon a scornful look as it returned to heel at her side.

Lotor removed the now empty needle from Lance's arm, and set it aside on a tray, 'The faculty is secure?'

'Yes, sir. The empire remains unaware of our actions.'

'There is something more here than a mere quintessence refinery and laboratory. I want this place searched, see what secrets my father has stashed here. What of our prisoner?'

'Complicit, for now.'

Lotor raised a sleek fair brow, 'For now?'

'Ezor believes he's up to something.'

'She does tend to have a hunch for this sort of thing. See to it that an eye is kept on him whilst you conduct the search and load the refined quintessence onto my ship.'

'Understood.' Acxa saluted by twisting her fist over her heart. Valerian hissed again when she made no move to leave.

'Do you have something else to say, Acxa?' Lotor cooly asked, and her daemon gave a soft whine.

'I— It's the paladin, Sir. I fear that his presence will invite…avoidable complications.'

Lotor leant over his patient to brush aside a stray curl on his forehead. 'Is that so?'

'My lord, he is a paladin of Voltron. He is no ordinary prisoner—'

'I am aware.'

'That boy,' Acxa hissed through her teeth, pointing at the paladin, 'is a walking time bomb. His presence restricts our movements. Voltron will give chase, and they will draw the empire's attention.'

'Acxa—'

'I'm sorry, but Lotor, please. I don't understand how we benefit from this situation.'

'Acxa, that's enough!' Lotor snapped, yellow eyes flashing before they narrowed on her. 'You are presuming much, and seeing little. This "walking time bomb", as you so elegantly put it, has value you are unable to understand. He could well be the key to crippling Voltron, and I intend to take full advantage'

'Sir!'

'Leave us. You are dismissed.' Lotor commanded with a subzero bite. Acxa's mouth wordlessly opened and closed before she clenched it shut. With a downcast gaze, she saluted again, Acario bowed low, and then they left.

Lotor gave out a long sigh before he turned his attentions back to the sleeping boy; taking a moment to watch to the rise and fall of his chest, listen to the steady bleeps of the heart monitor. He stretched his fingertips out to slide over dark skin, and rested them above his heart, feeling it's rhythmic pulse for himself.

Such a small thing…Fighting so hard to stay alive.

'I suppose, we are alike in that sense. You and I.' Lotor muttered and huffed a half-laugh. He stood up, and with his hands together behind his back, approached the room's window that stared out onto the rolling wintry plains. In the distance, a fat column of smoke rose from the former quintessence refinery. So, Voltron had decided to burn it to the ground.

'Paladin. Prince. Such titles that have been thrust upon us. We are told that it is our fate, our duty. But,' Lotor bit his tongue, and swallowed around the lump that made his throat tight.

'Have you ever wished for any different? Live a day where you didn't have to constantly feel the urge to look over your shoulder? Have people to laugh with, who would weep for you…Not that you would have to imagine hard.' He said over his shoulder with a wistfully smile. The paladin remained silent. Valerian watched him, and Lotor loudly cleared his throat before he turned on his heel.

'Yes. Quite. You'll be staying, I take it?'

Valerian cooed his confirmation, and curled around the smaller daemon, nestling in to sleep. Lotor nodded, and made for the door, trusting that if there was any change in his patient's condition, he would be alerted. After all, it seemed as though Valerian had grown terribly attached.

* * *

'Why is this taking so long?!' Keith groaned from the Red Lion's seat, and Coran looked over his shoulder, fingers tapping furiously against his console whilst his Scottish-terrier daemon yapped. From the pilot podium, Allura shot him a disapproving look. Nearby in a heap, her daemon Aurora lay atop Miyuzuki, occasionally lifting her head to groom his thick pelt. This was ridiculous, they'd flown back to Castle, (Keith couldn't help but think that they'd have made it back in half the time if they'd been in Red), they were all at their stations. Why hadn't Allura opened a wormhole already?

'There is a solar storm surrounding the nearby planets of our destination.' The altean advisor explained, and Keith rubbed the sides of his temples in an attempt to soothe the headache he felt coming on. Perched on the back of his chair, Asperatia continued to irritably snap her beak, refusing Kala'ina and her buzzing attempts to pacify her.

'Can't we just go through it?' He asked.

Across from him, Pidge caught his eye, Vexenon a snoozing dormouse on her knee, 'This Castle was made to take a hit, sure. But if we fly directly into a solar storm, we will get torn apart.'

'We will have to wait out the storm. Lotor won't be going anywhere.' Allura stated, and Keith rolled his eyes as he sank further down into his chair. Asperatia hopped down into his lap, and Keith ran a finger down her head in a soothing motion before absentmindedly scratching her neck.

'We shouldn't be just sitting here. Voltron would be able to go through that storm,' She grumbled and Keith agreed with grunt. 'Speaking of,' She continued, looking up to him, 'we should check that Red knows what's going on.'

'Yeah.' Keith said, grimly reminded of the time Shiro reunited with Black, only to be rejected. He couldn't afford that with Lance, and hopefully Red would recognise that as well. He stood up, Asperatia flapping to settle on his jacket's leather shoulder perch, and left the bridge, ignoring the others' eyes on him as they followed him out.

* * *

'Man, I don't think Z is gonna be happy about having to do all the heavy lifting herself.' Ezor yawned, stretching up like a cat as she and Acxa walked down the hallway toward the holding cells. Weaving around their feet, Camiya hopped and tried to playfully yip at Acario, but the daemon's proud head was hanging low. Acxa herself wasn't looking the cheeriest either, looking a few shades paler than her usual blue colouring.

'It doesn't matter. Orders are orders.' Acxa bit, and Ezor winced.

'Hey,' She reached out to take her partner's hands and squeezed them, encouraging Acxa's dark eyes to meet hers. 'It's gonna be alright. Sure, it's all work right now and things are a little tense. But I promise, the moment we get some time alone.'

Ezor narrowed the distance between them, and let go of their joined hands to settle hers suggestively on Acxa's hips, massaging there. At their feet, Camiya and Acario mewled as they rubbed up against each other.

Acxa gave a short laugh despite herself and Ezor smiled with her.  _There_  was her Acxa. 'Mmh. Yes, I would like that very much.'

'Yeah? Okay, I'm going to go quickly check on the prisoner. And then maybe, whilst we're searching this place, we'll see what we can do?'

'Who knows what might be lurking in dark corners?' Acxa lowly chuckled, and leaned in for a slow kiss.

Ezor happily sighed when they broke apart, 'Miss you already.'. She grinned before turning at the intersection down to the occupied holding cells, blowing a kiss over her shoulder. Motioning for Camiya to stay a few feet back, Ezor willed her skin to camouflage, and padded down the corridor to the cell that held the prisoner she was looking for. She stopped in front of the cell, a charged barrier of energy acting as the bars, and peered in.

'I know you are there half-breed.' The prisoner's deep voice snarled, and Ezor held her invisibility a moment longer before she released.

'Aw, what gave me away?' She pouted, and clapped her hands together. She pointed to the prisoner's daemon, a hulking mountain of fur huddled in the corner. 'Wait—let me guess—It was your doggy daemon, right?'

The prisoner's two colossal, mechanical arms groaned as he flexed. They'd be a lot more impressive if they had the injectable quintessence to go with them, Ezor mentally scoffed.

'My daemon is no "doggy". Her name, is Laika.' The former Warden of Beta Traz spat, and Ezor smiled. This was going to be fun.

* * *

When Lance opened his eyes, the world around him was a hazy blur, and he was burning. He distantly felt as though he were moving. Nothing was solid, and spun around and around, and around.

'N-Nuejia?' He weakly croaked, and took small comfort when he felt something near his head shift, and soft feathers nuzzled into his neck. He shivered, too hot but too cold at the same time. He was laying on his back, on a bed. His bedsheets stuck to him, his skin clammy and goosebumps riddled. Lance tried to open his eyes, but he didn't have the energy to hold them that way. His lids. They were too heavy.

'He's conscious.'

Lance could hear heavy huffs of breath. Panting, like an animal. Where was he?

'His temperature.' A man ordered, and Lance choked when a thin stick was forced into his mouth.

'Forty-three Dilkits. Is that bad? I—I don't know what's normal for humans'

'Yes, Zethrid, it is bad. His body is burning up well above what it should be.'

There was a whoosh of cool air, and the lights behind Lance's lids dimmed. There was a nose-wrinkling, sterilised smell in the air, like that of antiseptic. Was he in hospital? His bed was stopped, and Lance felt his arm be lifted up, and then a needle prick his skin.

'Ow.' He moaned as the noises of shuffling and movement around him continued. A hand pressed against his forehead, brushing away his sweaty bangs that were plastered to it. The hand was cold and felt good.

'Lance? Can you hear me?'

A whimper rasped from his dry lips. His tongue felt too thick, too big and heavy in his mouth to answer.

'Is he meant to be that colour? He looks like he's bleeding out.'

'Yes. Thank you Zethrid.' The man gritted through his teeth before he cleared his throat. 'I require space now.'

There was weighted footfall, but Lance sensed that someone—the man, remained at his bedside. The mattress dipped with new weight, and through their bond, Lance felt the phantom touch of another daemon stroking Nuejia, gently cooing to her. Gloved fingers gently, but firmly, squeezed Lance's jaw, and he gasped when icy liquid was poured down his throat. His stomach grew warm and tingled when the liquid settled in it.

The man made him sip it, massaging his thorax to make him reflexively swallow when he couldn't do it himself.

'I wonder if mother felt the same. Nursing a dying soul back to health using quintessence as I am now.'

The cup was taken away and the hand was back, this time, delicately tracing along his cheekbone with tipped claws. Lance didn't know whether he wanted to lean into the touch or away from it. The back of his head was fuzzy.

'She had the rift in proximity, a variable we missing in this case. But regardless, if I have interpreted her research correctly—'

Lance hiccuped when there was another prick of a needle, in his neck this time. What was happening?

'Then this treatment will yield to similar effects.'

'Your mom…' Lance mumbled, trying hard to form and hold onto a coherent thought, but the task felt impossible when his head was stuffed with clouds. 'she…a doctor?'

'She was an alchemist,' The man sighed, and there was a faint beeping of fingers on a keyboard, 'the most ambitious and forward-thinking of them all.'

'She here?' Lance cracked one eye open, but his surrounding was lost to him in a sea of haze. A shock of white and purple moved closer and sat down at Lance's side. Another warm quiver shivered through him through their cuddling daemons.

'No. No, she's…not here.'

'When she—coming back?'

There was a long pause. Lance's heart twitched in his chest. It hurt.

'I wonder that myself. The last time I saw her was many movements ago. Truthfully, I find it difficult to remember her face at times.'

'Oh,' Lance silently mouthed, and Nuejia gave a pitiful chirp. 'Well, I mean—kinda like…Keith, huh?'

'Keith?'

'Yeah. Keith, Keefy…Looking for mom to,' Lance tried to wet his lips, blinking slowly but not seeing, 'Gonna— wanna help find his mom. Co-could help you to…help you, your mom…Miss my mom—I miss  _home_.'

Lance wasn't aware of the tears running down his flush face until a damp cloth came to brush them away. The man, his carer, continued to swipe him down of his chilled layer of sweat. The room wouldn't stop spinning. He was going to throw up.

'I—'

'Hush now. You mustn't strain yourself. The quintessence synchronisation is a delicate process. You must rest.'

'I—I don't wanna die. Not like this. Not without…' Lance trailed off breathlessly, no air left, his ribs felt as though a weight were pressing down on him. Crushing him. He couldn't breathe.

A hand took his, not too warm, not too cold. 'You have a strong heart, dear Lance. It is not your fate to perish here.'. The man lifted his hand, and there was a wash of hot air against it before the soft press of lips to knuckles.

'I swear to you on that.'

A hysterical giggle bubbled from Lance's lips before an unstoppable yawn and a wave of exhaustion came over him. He was worn down to nothing. Nothing left to give.

'Gonna…sleep now.' He mumbled, and allowed himself to be dragged back down into unconsciousness, missing the gentle press of the man's lips to his forehead and a wish for sweet dreams.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed this chapter! If you are liking this story, please take the time to leave a comment. They mean the world to me, specifically when it comes to motiviation for writing the best chapter. Once again, thank you for reading, and as always,
> 
> Until next time folks!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 3, and ha- yeah, I know it's been a long time. Life's been crazy, but I've broken up for summer, and I've outlined and practically written out this whole story so hopefully updates will be happening regularly (fingers crossed!). Again, apologises for the long wait, let's get back to it.

Lance jerked awake screaming. He couldn't remember what his nightmare had been about. He couldn't remember where he was or why he was screaming. But he thrashed and wildly lashed out, only to be grappled by strong arms and pulled against a body. The weight stopped the room spinning, and Lance clung to it like an anchor, burying his head into the person's shoulder.

A hand came up and carded through his hair, 'Shhh, easy. Easy now.' The speaker soothed, and Lance's shaking form locked up. He recognised that voice.

'L-L-Lotor?' He rasped as he tried to pull away, but his limbs had no strength. It was the same as the time he'd gotten fever as a kid. He'd been bedridden for a week.

The prince of the Galra gave an agreeable hum, his fingers moved and Lance shivered at the light press of claws that trailed up and down his spine, 'There now. Breathe. I imagine you must have a thousand questions.'

'Uh, yeah, s-something like that.' Lance trembled and was able to breathe again when Lotor lowered him back against his pillows and then stood up to walk over to the wall-sized window. His hands were loosely gripped together behind his back as he stared out to where the sun was going down, painting the horizon a deep green washed with blue.

Lance had only ever seen a blurred image of the prince before. At the time, he had joked about challenging him over who had the best hair in the universe. Seeing his opponent in the flesh now, that glorious white mane, Lance knew he'd never had a chance. Toweringly tall, intelligent yellow eyes, cheekbones and a jawline so sharp that Lance could have cut himself, Lotor was dashingly handsome. Lance would have probably considered him to be attractive if he wasn't so dang intimidated by him.

The sterile white room they were in was spacious and minimalistic; his bed, that was surrounded by medical equipment, was the only piece of furniture in it. Lance tried to sit up, but his limbs shook too much to support his weight.

He slumped back in defeat against the soft pillows and choked on nothing when he spotted the white-faced capuchin monkey at the foot of his bed. Lotor's daemon with Nuejia balled up in its lap as it stroked her. Nuejia chirped before she wriggled free from the monkeys grasp and flew to Lance, fluttering and singing as she circled his head. A sob of relief rose in Lance's chest as he scooped her into his hands and brought her up so that they could nuzzle cheeks. Thank goodness she was alright.

A fearful tweet from her reminded Lance where they were, and he encouraged Nuejia onto his shoulder before he refocused back onto Lotor, who had been watching them closely.

'Where would you like to begin?' He asked.

Lance gripped the bedcovers tight, and realised, when he looked down himself, that his lower abdomen was no longer scorched, nor cut up. There wasn't even a scar. Blood flushed his cheeks when it registered that, by extension, he was wearing nothing but a loose pair of white shorts.

Okay. Okay. He had to stay calm. What had happened? The last thing he remembered was fighting that druid with Keith. He'd been struck by lightning, and then—nothing. Somewhere in that gap of missing time, he'd been taken prisoner by Lotor. The others…

'The other paladins, are they here too?' He asked.

A fair sleek brow rose up, 'How curious,' Lotor muttered under his breath before he spoke up, 'No. They are not here. The Green Lion left the atmosphere near twelve vargas ago.'

Lance bit down on his lip, his head spinning. They were safe. At least they were safe, 'So…I'm guessing you ambushed us whilst I was out and brought me back to interrogate me, right? Torture chambers and all that?'

'Actually, you would have succumbed to your quintessence burn if your team hadn't turned you over to my care after you were injured by the druid.' Lotor corrected.

'Oh,' Lance mouthed, his gut filled with lead as Nuejia fluttered to nest in his curls. Well, that explained why he wasn't in some dark cell. 'What—what happens now then?'

Lotor turned back to him and strode over to the bed. Lance winced, not knowing what to expect, but Lotor only held out his arm to have his daemon jump and scurry onto his shoulders. He then regarded the monitor that was at Lance's bedside, reading the symbols and numbers that Lance couldn't decipher. 'As of now, you are still weak from my treatment. I advise you rest. We will continue this conversation later on over sustenance.'

The prince gave a slight bow before he exited the room. When the door shut behind him, the lights dimmed and a blind rolled down the window to plunge the room into semi-darkness.

'Lance?' Nuejia sobbed, gliding down to perch on his knee, 'Lance, what are we gonna do?'

'Hey, it's okay. It's gonna be alright,' Lance cooed and scratched her chin. 'We're gonna get through this. I bet that the others are already on their way. We just gotta sit tight, baby girl.'

'But—but what if they don't? It's not like they won't be able to form Voltron without us. Red—' Nuejia gave another sob, 'is probably happy to have Keith back.'

'Stop talking like that Nuejia. They will come, they will.' Lance insisted and reached for the covers to roll over. Nuejia hovered in the air for a moment before she hopped onto his pillow, and curled up to sleep. Lance's eyes stayed open as hers shut, staring out to the stars.

'They have to.'

* * *

The next time he woke up was to the sound of the door unlocking. The window blind rolled up to have the sunlight from outside pour in as Lotor strode into the room. He carried a metal tray with a bowl of what looked soup, and on his shoulders, his daemon bobbed his head up and down excitedly.

'Good morning,' He greeted, and Lance wasn't sure how to feel as the man sat down on his bed. His gut knotting itself over, Lance gave a stiff nod in reply. Nuejia wearily regarded Lotor's daemon as he crawled down Lotor's arm, and sat back on his hind-legs. It was strange seeing him keep such a distance from them when he had so been so comfortably touching Nuejia yesterday; the gesture seemingly one of goodwill, as though the daemon didn't want to overstep his boundaries.

'Now that you have had a proper rest, we would like to properly introduce ourselves. I am Prince Lotor of the Galra Empire, and this is Valerian.' Lotor said with a motion to his daemon, and Valerian dipped his head to Lance.

'Lance. This is Nuejia.' Lance returned, Nuejia hopping onto his shoulder when he said her name.

'Greetings,' Lotor smiled and when Lance shifted to sit up, he pressed the meal tray onto his lap. The steaming soup was a rose cream and thin like water, smelling vaguely of summer fruits. 'I prepared this for you. It was a delicacy back on my world, prepared from the nectar of a dew-dew flower.'

'And it's okay for me?' Lance dubiously asked, silently debating whether or not to refuse the meal when his stomach growled and made the decision for him. He picked up the provided spoon, dipped in, and blew on it before he sipped. Despite its soft colour, the soup actually had quite the kick to it.

'Of course. Assuming you have a second stomach to digest the toxins.' Lotor said, and Lance's spoon clattered against the tray as his hand jumped to his throat, his eyes wide as his mouth wordlessly opened and closed.

'You—'

'I jest, Lance,' Lotor chuckled, a rumbling purr, 'The dish is perfectly safe for human consumption.'. When Lance made no move to resume eating, Lotor plucked a second spoon and sampled a helping. 'See?'

His smile widened when Lance slowly went back to eating. From his shoulder, Nuejia dived down to his knee and cocked her head curiously at Valerian. The monkey daemon mirrored her by padding closer. She chirped at him and Valerian stuck his tongue out at her.

'Thanks…' Lance gulped, finding that it was easier to stare at his soup than the prince.

'Something on your mind? Please, speak freely.'

'Why are you here? Why this planet?' Lance asked, and Lotor entwined his fingers atop his lap.

'I am here investigating rumours of there being a research faculty belonging to Zarkon's witch and her druids. With a quintessence refinery in close proximity, it leans toward true.'

'What kind of research?'

'I cannot be sure, which is why I am having my generals search this faculty as we speak. To hazard a guess, I would say weapon prototypes or some new experimental form of quintessence.' Lotor hummed.

Lance frowned as he set down his spoon, soup finished, 'You're talking like Zarkon doesn't know you're here.'

'That is because he doesn't. Going forward, I should like to keep it that way.'

Well. Wasn't that the surprise of the day? Lotor was working behind his father's back. Lotor was working behind Zarkon's _back_. His surprise must have shown on his face because Lotor gave another deep chuckle.

'Not quite what you were expecting to hear, was it?'

'I—I mean, I thought you were—you know, you'd be team 'Pro-Galra' all the way.' Lance said.

Lotor tutted, 'I am not a believer of Zarkon's ways. He believes that an empire can only be ruled through fear, but I know otherwise. There must be change, and I have a plan to initiate it.'

Lance stared at him,'You're trying to bring down Zarkon from the inside, like the Blade of Mamora.'

'I assure you, my machinations are far subtler than those "spies". For one, I would not carry a weapon of easily identifiable metal.  _Luxite_. How ridiculous.' Lotor jeered, his lip curled in distaste before he corrected it. 'Still, they serve as a suitable enough distraction, along with the Voltron Coalition—'

Lotor stopped with a smile when Lance was unable to suppress a huge yawn, 'Forgive me. Despite appearances, you have still not fully recovered, and you must be tired from all this talk. I will return in a few vargas time to run some diagnostics and check on your progress. Until then, please, sleep.'…

'We have no idea if he's telling us the truth.'

'I don't know Nuejia. Maybe he could actually be working against Zarkon.'

'Why would he spill so much information like that?  _Something's_  gotta be up.'

'He wants us to trust him. As crazy as it sounds, I think he was being honest.'

'Lance, he might want to bring Zarkon down to, but we have no idea where his loyalties lie. He—Lance?'

But Lance had stopped listening. An idea had taken root, and was growing fast: could Lotor be an ally?

* * *

Keith took a deep breath as the Red Lion's hangar doors slid open and he stepped in. Yellow eyes watched him and Asperatia with a glint as they approached, stopping just short of her feet. The hangar shook as Red came to life and lowered her great head for them to enter.

It was as though he'd never left. A lump inflated in Keith's throat as he walked around and sat down in the pilot's seat. Asperatia took her usual perch, the top of the chair reinforced for her talons. He reached out and gripped the controls.

Red flooded the cockpit, holographic interfaces lighting up as Red's purr rumbled in his mind. Keith couldn't help but smile as feelings of warmth and happiness poured through their bond. If she could speak, he knew she'd been singing something along the lines of, 'You're back! You're here, I've missed you!'.

'I missed you to Red. I just wished that there was another reason why I was here.' Keith sighed.

'Lance is Lotor's prisoner, and we need to get him and Nuejia back.' Asperatia continued with a low shake of her head.

'Please Red, if you could fly to Lance like you came to me, then we could save him. I know that you could fly through a solar storm. We can save him!'

Keith waited for Red to roar with approval, to stand up rearing and ready to go. But she did none of those things. She did nothing.

'Come on! We have to go!' He tried, Asperatia joining in by hissing. But no. No.

Keith gritted his teeth as his gut coiled with a white-hot flame. 'What? What is wrong with you?! This is Lance!  _Lance_. He needs us. Do you even care that he's not here?!'. Keith threw the controls away from him and stood up, shaking fists balled up at his side.

'I thought you'd at least help me— that you'd understand. But I guess not,' Keith turned to storm away, Asperatia flapping to his shoulder. He stomped down the ramp to the hangar door, only pausing to shoot a look back to her. 'I don't care if we can form Voltron. In a lion or not, Lance is just as important to this team. I don't get why I'm the only one who seems to know that.'

* * *

'My generals tell me you are a sharpshooter. Where did you learn?'

'Summer whilst working on my uncle's farm. He had a badger problem, so he taught me how to fire a gun and a bow,' Lance reminisced, closing his eyes to see the stretching fields of corn against blue skies, the red of his uncle's barn where he kept the cows. He once had to run out in a downpour to close the doors so they could stay dry, getting mud splattered over his dungarees in the process.

'Archery as well, what a wonder. I would very much like to see a demonstration, should you feel up to it once you are back on your feet.' Lotor said as he checked Lance's blood pressure. Whilst they sat on the bed, Valerian and Nuejia raced about the room. They played a game of chicken, where they'd ran at each other from opposite ends and saw who bailed first. A lot of times neither did and they'd fall to the floor twittering and screeching in laughter.

'I hated it at first, but my uncle made me practise every day. He'd line up his green beer bottles on the fence and make me shoot them off. I'd milk the cows in the morning, and shoot bottles in the evening. Sometimes until the sun went down, sometimes after that.'

'I imagine you're now instead quite grateful for his teachings.'

'Yeah, I guess you could say that.' Lance crossed his arms after Lotor took back the pump and flexed his fingers to get the feeling back. He tried not to flinch when Lotor selected a needle from the tray of medical utensils.

'And how is your hand-to-hand combat?'

'Uh,' Lance thought back to the training sessions with the bot, and how many times it'd knocked him on his ass whilst Pidge had laughed at him on the sidelines and Keith had tried shouting out advise. 'Passable?'

'You don't sound sure.'

'I mean, it depends who you ask.'

'Hm. It sounds as though you need a teacher.' Lotor commented, and let the suggestion hang there.

Lance averted his gaze, 'I thought I said you weren't going to interrogate me.'

'Apologises, I just got so caught up in listening. You may ask me anything you like. Turn this "interrogation", into a conversation.'

'Anything?' Lance raised an eyebrow, and Lotor nodded.

'Anything.'

'Then tell me the truth. Do you actually want to see Zarkon be brought down?' Lance asked.

Lotor's brows twitched then furrowed, 'Yes. I desire to see Zarkon dethroned as much as you do.'

He knew it. Lance took a deep breath in and exhaled it out before he took the biggest leap of faith of his life. Sitting up straighter, he reached forward and placed his hand over Lotor's idle one next to him. The room went completely silent, the chatter of their daemons playing gone. With a flap of her wings, Nuejia broke away from Valerian and flew onto Lance's lap. Lotor's eyes widened for a split second, caught off guard before he recovered and they focused on Lance with laser-like intensity.

'Then, you should join the rebellion. Join the Coalition to end this war.' Lance said, hoping he sounded more confident than he felt.

Lotor burst into a pale of laughter, throwing his head back, 'Oh. I cannot even  _begin_  to describe to you everything wrong with that.'

'Why not?' Lance challenged. 'With your knowledge about the empire, we'd be able to do stuff we couldn't even consider yet! We'd be on a whole other lever!'

'Lance, I cannot just march up to a recruitment booth in a commercial outlet and sign my name.'

'I get that. Sure, it'd be weird, but taking down Zarkon is what matters here, right?'

'It is not that simple!' Lotor snapped back, his jaw tightly clenched. 'I cannot drop everything, everything I have ever worked for so that I can openly oppose my father. I have a plan.'

'Then tell me, tell Voltron what it is. We can help you.' Lance appealed, and Lotor laughed at him.

'Help me? I am the son of the one who murdered the princess' father and destroyed her planet. The princess will never trust me, let alone be willing to help me.'

'That was all Zarkon's doing.' Lance argued, and cried out when came the unexpected prick of Lotor's needle. None too gently, Lotor drew his blood and removed the needle from Lance's arm, the rough treatment surely to leave a nasty bruise.

'And what of my doings? I hunted you. I lured you and the paladins out to a volatile gas planet and almost had you blow yourselves up. In the eyes of Voltron, I have you here, as my prisoner, and you  _still_ believe that they will accept me?'

Lotor loomed over Lance, with Lance having to tilt his chin up to look at him, pressed right back against the headboard to keep as much distance between them as possible. In his lap, curled up to make herself as small, Nuejia uncontrollably shook, giving off high squeaks of distress. Lotor impassively regarded her before he stood up and marched for the door.

'I—I haven't forgotten. I haven't, but—you saved my life. You didn't have to take me in and heal me, but you did,' Lance called out after him, his words coming out breathless. His heart won't stop pounding in his chest and he wanted to throw up, but he had to get the words out.

'That might not mean much to you, but it does to me. And I want you to know that.'

Lotor did not look back, not even when Valerian leapt up onto his shoulder and cooed something in his pointed ear. The prince stepped out, and the door locked shut behind him.

* * *

The next time Lance woke, it was one of Lotor's generals that was there to greet him. She had a blue tint to her skin, and something about her—though Lance couldn't place what— reminded him strikingly of Keith. She stood to attention with her chin tipped up, and her dog daemon was obediently heeled at her side.

'Put that on,' She nodded to the new set of toms and a hospital gown folded at the foot of his bed, 'and follow me.'

Not knowing what else to do, Lance quickly pulled on the gown and followed the general out the door. She took him through the base, travelling up a set of stairs to appear before Lotor's two other generals guarding a set of double doors. From the whistle of wind, Lance suspected that it led outside.

The larger of the two, Zethrid he thought her name was, held a heavy winter cloak with a feathered collar. When Lance approached, she threw it to him and Lance tried (and failed) not to trip under its weight, 'Prince Lotor is waiting for you outside.'

'Have fun, pretty boy~' The pink ponytailed general giggled as Lance pulled on the cloak. It dragged along the floor, so heavy and warm that it felt as though he were wearing a duvet.

Lance gulped, and the doors swept open. A blast of freezing air slapped him in the face, and Lance had to raise had an arm to shield his eyes against the intense burst of white light. Acxa stepped out, and Lance followed, their soles crunching the snow, and the wind whipping against their cloaks.

Lotor stood on the balcony with his back to them, looking out to the sloped winter plains. His white mane had been scrapped back into a thick ponytail (save for that usual rebellious strand), and next to him was what Lance thought looked like a skeet trap machine. Sat atop it was Valerian, holding the Red Paladin's bayard. His beady black eyes glinted as he watched them approach.

The general saluted with her fist over her heart, and her daemon bowed low, 'My lord, I have brought him.'

'Thank you, Acxa. You are dismissed.' Lotor said without moving, and "Acxa" saluted again before she left. Lance's gut churned as the doors slid shut and he was left alone with the prince. Said prince turned, and his yellow eyes narrowed as he regarded him up and down. A shiver ran down his spine, and it wasn't from the snow.

'How are you feeling?' Lotor asked, his face neutrally schooled, giving nothing away.

Nestled in the thick feathered collar, Nuejia gave a weak chirp and burrowed closer against Lance's neck. The monkey daemon watched her.

'Fine,' Lance answered with a stiff nod. 'I— Thank you. Thanks for healing me.'

'You are welcome,' Lotor nodded his head in return and gestured to his daemon. 'Now, if you would take your bayard. We will be testing your coordination.'

The daemon held out his bayard as he hesitantly stepped closer. Lance took it and raised an eyebrow at Lotor, 'You think it's a good idea to give back a prisoner his weapon?'

'I do not think of you as my prisoner. That is only what the paladins of Voltron would perceive you as.'

Lance blinked, 'Then…what am I to you?'

Still nothing from that sculptured mask, 'Who could say? Now, your bayard.' The last part came as a command.

Clearly, Lotor didn't think him a threat, and Lance tried not to feel offended at the thought as he activated his bayard into its assault rifle form, held ready for whatever came next. Lotor motioned him to take his spot at the front of the balcony before he walked over to the skeet trap machine and picked up it's remote. With a click, a clear blue disk loaded into the catapult.

'Okay. Clay shooting. Got it,' Lance rolled back his shoulders, loosening up the stiff joints. 'Because why not?'

'Set,' Lotor announced and Lance levelled the scope to his eye, finger resting on the trigger.

'Pull.'

The spring tanged, and the disk shot out whistling past him.

Lance's eye caught the mark. His crosshair snapped to it and he pulled the trigger. The shot rang out and— nothing.

'Again. Set.' Lotor issued. Lance mentally shook himself before he braced for the next round. Alright, practise time over. Now to get serious.

'Pull.'

Once more, the disk flew. Lance fired and again, nothing. The disk disappeared into the snow.

'Maybe try with the scope?' Nuejia quietly suggested. Lance took her advice, his bayard transforming into its sniper form with a flash.

'Set.'

'Pull.' Lance finished and the trap spat. With the scope, locating the mark was even easier. It sailed through his crosshair, and his shot  _just_ chipped the disk with a burst of blue dust.

'So close.' Lotor hummed and Lance scowled at him.

'Hey, I've been on ice! Of course, I'd be rusty.'

'Then you've fallen short of my estimations. How disappointing.'

Lance ground his teeth as he pivoted to face the galra. Nuejia darted out from his collar to fly up screeching in the monkey daemon's face.

'What's your deal Lotor? Why did you bring me out here?'

'I wanted to see the skills of Voltron's sharpshooter. Acxa and Ezor reported great things about you. Namely, you were able to shoot one of Ezor's throwing knives in the heat of battle. I had you brought here to assess your prowess of myself.'

Lance sniffed, his throat closed up and it became difficult to swallow, 'Skills? You said it yourself, I'm a disappointment. I'm meant to be better, but I can't even hit a stupid disk. If I'm not the sharpshooter, then who am I?'

A hiccuped bitter laugh rose up in his chest and escaped, 'Is this what you wanted? So you could laugh at me?!'

'Lance,' The sincerity that Lotor uttered his name with made Lance freeze. The mask was gone now. A crinkle was creased between the prince's fair brows and his eyes…Lance would never have thought they could look so pained.

'Lance,' Lotor repeated. Lance tensed when the man closed the distance between them. But he could have never expected the prince to take his hand with such tenderness. 'I must ask for your forgiveness. I merely wished to test you, I— it was not my intention to hurt you. I have no desire to afflict the same haunting upon another. Please, forgive me.'

Lance was too stunned to react when Lotor closed the distance and pressed a delicate kiss to his knuckles. Over on the top of the skeet trap, Nuejia chirped as Valerian rolled onto his back, exposing his belly, and pawed at her.

'What— do you mean?' He stuttered.

'I know what it is like to doubt one's place. I know well how lonely it can be…'

'You're…lonely?' Lance breathed transfixed, unable to tear his gaze away.

'I am a despised and exiled prince. A half-breed, who no one wants, whose own father cannot stand to look upon. I know loneliness better than anyone in this universe.' Lotor lowly confessed, his eyes pained. There were scars behind those eyes. Terrible, deep scars from wounds inflicted long ago. He had been hurt, and he was still hurting.

'It doesn't have to be that way,' Lance blurted before he could stop himself. 'If you join the fight against Zarkon, if you really want him off the throne, I— I'll vouch for you. The guys will listen to me if I explain—'

'Even if you somehow miraculously managed to win over the princess, the coalition will never accept me. If they see that Voltron is in alliance with the son of the enemy, they will lose faith. The legend that has inspired planets to raise up and fight will be destroyed. The rebellion's strength will crumple, and the empire will wipe them out.'

Lotor sighed, and Lance had to tilt his chin up to keep eye contact when he stepped closer. A hand came up to brush back the clumps of snow that were sticking to Lance's bangs.

'You and I are one of the same, dear Lance. Our cause is the same, to bring about an end to Zarkon's tyranny. To bring peace to the universe.' He said.

'Then—'

'I have a plan. One that will end this war for good. Join me Lance, and together, we can bring about a new age of peace that will last forever.' Lotor pleaded with infinite softness, and Lance froze when he felt a second, smaller hand touch his face.

Lotor's daemon, Valerian, gazed back at him, a yearning vulnerability there burning in his black eyes. Nuejia fluttered to them, and Lance heard Lotor's breath catch in his throat when she nuzzled against his cheek and then came to perch on the fingers that touched Lance's hair.

A magnetic force coursed through them, charged, vibrating atoms harmonising from the bond of two naked souls connecting. It was a live-wire, a current of electricity sparking between them.

It…it didn't feel real. Lance thought the only other daemons he'd ever touch this way was his families', a loved one's. Not…like this…

Lance felt Lotor, felt his core rub against his own. He saw him, his everything, and he  _felt_  him. They were the same.

'You could save countless lives. Your family, your planet. You would be keeping them safe. The paladins, they would never have to risk their lives in a thankless war again. You would be their hero.'

'And, what would I be to you?' Lance asked again, his core, his very self vibrating through Lotor's touch on Nuejia. There was no deceit this time, no space between them for half-truths.

A twinkle entered Lotor's gaze as he gently smiled, 'You would be my equal, my partner in all things. As a friend, or as a bonded mate, I would love you. I would be your's, as you would be mine.'

Lance's cheeks flushed, and he was suddenly too hot, the cold weather doing nothing to bring his temperature down, 'I— You mean—'

Lotor pressed a fingertip to his lips, 'You need not answer me as of this moment. It is not a decision to be made lightly. You will have time to think my proposal over.'

'R-Right,' Lance choked as Lotor and Valerian pulled away, and returned themselves to themselves. 'I meant it, you know. If you change your mind, I'll vouch for you. You could really help Voltron.'

'I will think on your offer Lance, as I hope you will think on mine,' Lotor bowed his head before he motioned for the door, 'Come, let us get out of this cold. I will escort you myself back to your room.'


	4. Chapter 4

'I have a plan…You could save countless lives. You would be their hero, my equal, my partner in all things.'

Lotor's words echoed in Lance's mind long after the prince had returned him to his room. He was sat on the window ledge, looking out to the wintry white desert as he thought. He thought it'd been about an hour since then. Over on his bed—which had been made since he'd last left it— Nuejia hopped around on the feathered cloak Lance had laid out with jittery energy.

'That was— Lance, we touched each other! Valerian touched you, and I touched Lotor! I just—this was the man who was our enemy!' She chirped.

'That was before he saved our lives. Before we knew he was against Zarkon.' Lance muttered around biting his thumbnail, a bad habit that resurfaced from when he was a kid. Back then, his mom had been there to slap his hand away. Now, in her absence, it ran unchecked.

Nuejia stilled, and then cocked her head at him, 'Are you going to accept Lotor's offer?'

'If Lotor becomes an ally, it'll be a game changer,' Lance reasoned.

'If he can be trusted.'

'Something tells me he can be. Deep down, I don't think he's a bad guy. Just the—"I'll do what I have to" type.'

'At the very least, we're fighting for the same thing,' Nuejia sighed before the doors opened with a swish of air.

The hulking general who had handed him the cloak, Zethrid stepped into the frame. Her warthog daemon stamping the ground as though about to charge, 'Come on. Prince Lotor wants to see you.'

Lance silently followed her through the corridor, the route longer and more complicated than the one he'd taken before. They seemed to leave the ward where Lance had been treated, with airy pale walls and well-lit hallways, moving through into the right wing of the base.

The change into the right wing was a subtle one. Sterile air soured to stale. Dam patches and small puddles littered the floors and walls, and when Lance passed a vent, he had had to swallow back down bile in his mouth at the smell of rot. Wherever they were going, it was in a serious state of disrepair, and it didn't appear as though the base's staff cared.

They finally came to a set of double doors, and Lance jumped when there was a burst of buzzing high-voltage electricity and a man screamed.

Zethrid smirked at him and Nuejia when she dived into Lance's hands trembling, 'Relax buttercup. It's not like you're next or anything.'

The doors slid open to reveal what Lance could only describe as a torture chamber. At the centre, was a galra that Lance sickly recognised as the Warden of Beta Traz, tied to an electric chair with bolts of purple lightning zapping his body to make him spastically jerk and writhe. Lotor, Acxa and the pink ponytailed general stood at a console watching the man's suffering with cool eyes whilst their daemons—save for Valerian, who was curiously missing from the scene— growled.

White-hot anger split through Lance when he saw the man's daemon, Laika crying in agony at his feet. He started to march forward when a large hand curled over his shoulder, clawed tips pressed threateningly on his skin. Zethrid shook her head at him with a slow smile.

Lotor nodded to the pink ponytailed general, and she touched the console interface. The electricity snapped off, and the Warden slumped forward with a gasp, the putrid smell of burning flesh sizzling off him.

'Would you like to reconsider my offer?' The prince demanded, and the Warden coughed a haggard laugh.

'You're wasting your time,  _Your Majesty_ ,' He sneered the title, 'I'll never talk. Vrepit Sa.'

'I know Zarkon's Witch was conducting research into quintessence here. Tell me her secrets, I will let you leave this place alive.'

'Her secrets are Lord Zarkon's secrets. So, like I said, I'll never talk. Victory or death.' The Warden punctuated the declaration by spitting at Lotor's feet. He gave another wheezed laugh before his bloodshot yellow eyes slid onto Lance.

'Never thought I'd see you again.'

'Yeah, likewise.' Lance forced out, clenching his fists to keep from throwing Zethrid's hand off. Laika whimpered at him, and in his stead, Nuejia flew down to comfort her.

The Warden watched their daemons interact with a high-strung tension, 'I've thought about you every day though. How you ruined my life by stealing my prisoner.'

'I'm flattered.'

'Yes. I've been thinking about all the sounds you'd make once I got my hands around that little neck of yours.'

Lotor slammed his hand against the console and the electricity exploded to life once again. The Warden's vicious grin was wiped from his face as his spine arched, teeth tightly clenched before he gave up his silence and screamed his throat raw. Nuejia scattered from Laika as she lashed out with a pitiful howl, before curling up to start whimpering again.

'I can't watch.' She sniffled as she threw herself back into Lance's hands. Lance mutely nodded as he cupped his hands over her into a loose enclosed ball, wishing he had somewhere to hide away to; where he could bury his head and pretend that this was all a dream.

He stiffened when Lotor turned around and looked him up and down. The corners of his eyes briefly crinkled with the semblance of a smile before they smoothed over and he addressed Acxa, 'Continue the interrogation. I will be taking Lance to my ship.'

'Maybe one of us should go with you.' The pink ponytail general said, and Lance didn't understand why her blue eyes were narrowed at the prince. She looked…suspicious. But why?

Lotor shook his head, 'Nonsense. An unarmed human hardly needs two of us. You wound me Ezor,' He gave a soft laugh and then motioned for Zethrid to release her hold on Lance, 'If you would.'

'How long will you be gone?' Acxa asked with an edge, and Lance was intrigued to notice that she shared Ezor's same apprehension. What  _was_ going on here?

'Only a few tics, not to worry,' Lotor breezily returned as he stepped forward and gestured for Lance to start walking with a hand coming to rest on his lower back. They stepped out, and the doors slid shut before Lance could steal a last glance at the Warden and Laika. Their screams followed them as they moved away.

Lotor's hand didn't move from his back as they walked, and Lance tried his best not to shiver at the contact. What he'd just witnessed, it was a hell of a slap in the face. The Warden Lance knew was a bad guy, but that didn't mean he deserved to be tortured! Laika was his daemon, and she was a good girl, she didn't mean any harm. No one deserved to suffer like that, especially her.

Lance glanced at Lotor, who—if he'd noticed Lance looking—didn't acknowledge it. Under his care, around touching each other's daemons, Lance had forgotten (or maybe even turned a blind eye to) how ruthless Lotor could be. They were alike in ways, yeah—but Lance had a line and it stopped at torture; apparently, Lotor didn't.

Voltron, the team, had their own way of doing things, whilst Lotor's way of thinking looked like it leaned toward, 'the ends justify the means'. What would happen if Lotor decided on something the team weren't okay with? He didn't share the same morals as they did. When the chips were down, would Lotor do what is right, or would he do what'd get him the desired result?

Lance knew which one it would be…Could he really trust Lotor as an ally?

Lotor took him out of the right wing and to an indoor hangar where his dark blue ship with orange highlights was waiting. Docked beside it, Lance spotted the two ships Lotor had made from the trans-reality comet. Instead of going for the larger ship, Lotor's hand applied gentle pressure to guide Lance toward the comet ships.

'To the first Sincline ship, dear Lance.' He said.

Lance frowned in confusion, 'We're not going into the other ship? Won't be it kinda cramped in there?'

'You will see,' Lotor hummed.

The inside of the ship was cramped, well—snug if Lance was being generous. Nothing like the cockpit of the Lions'. The Sincline's cockpit was tight, with its pilot seat and co-pilot seat back-to-back and little wiggle room for anything else. As Lotor strode in, taking the pilot seat and grasping the controls with confident familiarity, Lance awkwardly paused outside.

'Come. You'll find your paladin armour and bayard underneath the co-pilot's seat,' Lotor called over his shoulder to him as he tapped the lavender holographic interface.

'What?' Lance blurted, and sure enough, when he looked under the seat, they were both there in a drawstring bag. 'B-But—huh? What's going on here?'

'I have decided to accept your offer Lance,' Lotor explained, not looking away from his work on the interface, concentrating hard as he typed in a long sequence of galra symbols.

Lance gasped, 'You mean—'

'Yes, though I am weary that Princess Allura and the other paladins will not share your enthusiasm. Still, I believe that this will be a step in the right direction.' He finished, and Lance set his stuff down to lean forward and see that Lotor was sending out a transmission request.

* * *

Shiro sat with his arms crossed, the drumming rhythm of his finger tapping his prosthetic climbing with agitated frequency until he can't take it any more, 'I'm going to find him.'

'Shiro, perhaps we should wait for Keith to come to us in his own time.' Allura said as Shiro rose up out of the Black Paladin's station. From the pile of their daemons had huddled together, Miyuzuki lifted his head and then reluctantly stood up. He sidestepped Aurora's sweeping claw, the lioness daemon grumbling as she tried to get him to lay back down with her, and trotted over to Shiro's side.

Shiro shook his head as he scratched behind Miyuzuki's ears to make his tail wag, 'That doesn't sound like Keith. No, I'll go find him.'

'Well, if you're going to, I'd shake a leg. The solar storm has just passed!' Coran piped from the fore, and Allura frowned when an alert popped up on her display at the helm.

'Is that a video call?' Hunk asked leaning forward in his seat.

'Yes,' Allura frowned and then looked to Pidge, 'I thought you said that you encrypted the Castle's signal the last time.'

'I did!' Pidge squinted at her own display as her fingertips danced across the keyboard, her thick brows pulled together, 'The only way that you can get the signal if you know the decryption key. And there's no way to get that key unless you're told it, or you get it off something that's already connected to the signal like a data stick, or our armour—'

She froze and adjusted her glasses, 'Lance. He was wearing his armour when Lotor took him.'

'Wait, wait, wait— you're saying it could be Lotor on the dial?!' Hunk squeaked and Kala'ina resounded a series of angry buzzes.

'Princess?' Coran asked as all eyes turned to Allura. She paused for a moment, debating it. Then she stood up straighter, jaw fixed, and accepted the transmission.

* * *

'Guys!' Lance laughed, surging forward over Lotor as the Castle bridge and faces of his team appeared before them on the interface window.

'Lance!' Five voices called back as they stared at Lance and Lotor with stunned surprise. Lance sighed out his relief when he saw that they were all fine. His heart gave a throb when he noticed that Keith wasn't with them. Was he okay? Did he get hurt as well and was in a pod?

'Boy, am I glad to see you guys. Are you okay? Where's Keith?' He asked.

'We are okay? That's what we should be asking you!' Pidge exclaimed.

'Yeah! Yeah, we're all fine over here. As for Keith, I think he's gone to the bathroom or something. What about you buddy? Are  _you_  alright?' Hunk asked as he glared daggers at Lotor.

Lance airily waved his hand in a dismissive motion, 'Puh-lease, like something so minor could keep this sharpshooter down,' He grinned and saw the others minutely relax, reassured that Lance must be well enough to crack jokes. 'Seriously though, I'm right as rain. Not even a scar!'

He'd meant it as well. Whatever Lotor had treated him with, he felt like a million bucks; like he go on a long run along the beach and never stop…That, or like— a billion jumping jacks. Either would do the trick.

'Well, thank goodness for that,' Allura sighed before her gaze hardened on Lotor, 'Lotor, I will admit that this is a surprise. I thought the next time we'd see each other, it would be under siege.'

'There will be no need for that princess,' Lotor chuckled, 'Lance and I will be returning to you shortly with both of the ships I crafted from the trans-reality comet.'

Lance's jaw dropped as he spun to stare at Lotor, 'You're letting me go?'

Lotor raised a sleek, fair brow at him, 'It would only be right if we are to be allies.'

'Hold it right there,' Shiro cut in, 'Tell me if I got that right. You said that you want to be our ally?'

Allura scoffed in outrage, 'It has to be a trick.'

'I would think, that in exchange for saving Lance's life and bringing him back to you safely, along with the Sincline ships, that I should at least be owed an audience.'

Lance chewed the inside of his cheek as he watched the team process this in silence. He—honestly hadn't expected this. He thought that Lotor would have tried to negotiate, or something. Not just, hand over all his cards without a fight.

He watched Allura's fists tightened. When she and Shiro shared a look, she gave a tight shake of her head. If Lance didn't step in, this wasn't going to work.

'Guys, I know it sounds crazy, but you should really hear him out. Lotor isn't Zarkon. He didn't have to save me, but he did. Doesn't that deserve him a chance?' He pleaded and met each of their stares, ending and lingering on Allura.

'Are you sure about this, Lance? It's all rather…' Coran trailed off, lost and unsure how to feel.

'I'm sure. All I'm asking is that you hear him out.' Lance affirmed.

Shiro frowned in thought before he looked to Allura with a grim expression, 'As hard as it is to say this, but I think Lance is right. We should give Lotor a chance to say his piece.'

After a long moment of pause, Allura relented and glared at Lotor with eyes of magenta and turquoise fire.

'You will bring Lance and the trans-reality ships to the planet's atmosphere where we will be shortly arriving via wormhole. When both ships are in the Castle's bay, you will leave your weapons and step out bound. Then, and  _only_ then, will we listen to what you have to say for yourself.' She hissed.

Lotor dipped his head, though he didn't look pleased about the proposed terms, 'As you wish, princess.'

'Good,' Allura's expression mellowed when she looked at Lance and smiled, 'Lance, we will be with you as fast as we can.'

'Gotcha. See you guys soon.' Lance beamed back and the call ended. He inhaled in a deep breath, and when he exhaled, he felt as though a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders. A ridiculously happy grin split across his face. This was actually happening. He was going home! Oh man, he never thought he'd look forward to food goo again. A hot shower? Mmhm~

'Lance?' Lotor's voice pulled him out of his fantasies of steaming water. Lance blinked and wrinkled his nose gleefully when it registered that Nuejia was hovering in front of it.

'Yeah, yeah. Sorry, I'm—I'm just, super happy right now,' Lance grinned, 'I'm going home!'

'Yes, well—now we just need to—ah! Perfect timing,' Lotor said as there was a rustling. Lance jumped when a shock of white and black appeared and Valerian scurried up over the seat to sit on Lotor's shoulder. The prince made an agreeable noise when his daemon dropped something kind of small rock in his hand before he tucked it away.

'Excellent. Now we can leave. Lance, you will be piloting this ship, I will do the same with the other.'

'Wait— wait, I don't know how to fly this ship! I can't read Galra!' Lance panicked even as Lotor got up and with a gentle but firm hand, lowered him into the pilot's seat.

'I imagine it can't be that much different from flying a Lion,' Lotor chuckled before his good-humour sobered, 'Do not fret. I know you'll take it effortlessly.'

Lance looked down at the controls before he reached and grasped them. They weren't a perfect fit, but Lotor had been right. They didn't that feel far off from Red or Blue's controls. Lotor gave a satisfied nod and stepped out of the ship. Valerian balanced on his shoulder, whispering in his ear as he climbed into the second ship.

'If you'd asked me if this was how I'd thought today would go, I'd say you were joking.' Nuejia chirped as she settled on Lance's head, nestling into his curls for the ride.

A purr of engine ignition filled the hangar as the second comet's ship came to life, followed closely by Lance's. The ship humming around him, Lance nudged the controls and the ship hovered off the ground, swaying and bobbing like a buoy.

Lotor opened up a comms channel, 'Well done, Lance. I expected nothing less. Now,' The hangar doors shrieked as they opened, scraping metal against metal, and the icy blizzards rushed in from the outside. Lotor's ship got the lead as it slowly hovered forward, it's thrusters building in power, 'Follow me.'

* * *

In the pod bay, the outer airlock doors open for the two comet ships that slowly eased through, Keith and the rest of paladins waited. It was surreal that only a couple of minutes ago Shiro had found him in his room with his head in his hands and told him, 'Lotor is bringing Lance back to the Castle.'

 _Lotor_  was bringing Lance back to the Castle. Asperatia wouldn't stop stress moulting, and Keith would have felt inclined to tell her to cut it off if he didn't feel like throwing up himself.

'I don't understand why he'd do this. It's gotta be a trap.' He hissed to Shiro, watching with narrowed eyes as the inner airlock doors eased open and both ships came into land.

'We saw Lance, Keith, we spoke to him. He's fine, you'll see so now.' Shiro reassured and Miyuzuki rubbed up against Keith's leg to comfort him. A shiver ran down Keith's spine at the contact before he turned his full attention to the ships as their ramps lowered.

Lance ran out of the ship, flushed, beaming,  _alive_ , and Keith's brain short-circuited; all coherent thought banished with the violent force of a freight train.

There were no other words to describe it. Where Lance had always been attractive—even before Keith had fallen hard—now he was beautiful _._ It had to be impossible for Lance to look as healthy as he did from the last time Keith had seen him; pale, still and cold. His dark freckled skin was clear— dewy, almost, and his eyes—once glazed over and glassy with pain—were now alert and bright. He looked better than he ever had, and the initial sight of him sucker-punched Keith in the heart.

He stumbled like a sprinter's false-start would, his bones suddenly jelly, and Pidge and Hunk surged past him to tackle Lance with teary hugs.

'Lance!'

'Hey guys.' Lance laughed under Hunk's smothering bear hug, Pidge latched around his stomach like a koala; their daemons joyfully having their own noisy reunion. On Keith's shoulder, Asperatia mournfully cooed. She wanted to join in too, but like with Keith, the moment was gone.

Though they smiled, Allura and Shiro didn't relax. They didn't take their eyes off the prince as Lotor exited the ship. He had handcuffed himself as per demanded.

'It's good to have you back, Lance.' Allura said when the hugging trio finally brought apart and rejoined the rest of them.

'Good to be back,' Lance grinned and, after what felt like a lonely eternity, dark blue eyes met indigo.

Time suspended itself in that moment; a singular elongated moment. Lance stared at Keith, and Keith stared back. Charged silence vibrated suspended in the space between them; both of them overwhelmed, and neither knowing where to begin. The calm moments before the druid. How Lance had screamed when he'd been drenched in acidic quintessence. How limp and lifeless he'd felt in Keith's arms as he'd ran. All of it flashed behind Keith's eyes, and the crippling anguish of it was just as fresh. Lance had almost died because of him. Because he hadn't been fast enough to stop the druid.

Lance stepped forward, his arms coming up as if for a hug, 'Keith—'

But he never got to finish as an explosion shook the hangar. The floor quaked beneath their feet, causing Lance to trip, and Keith surged forward to catch him before he could hit the ground.

'What was that?!' Pidge cried.

'Everyone, to the bridge!' Allura ordered and took off, the rest of them tight on her heels.

The bridge rumbled when they sprinted in, daemons racing ahead. The team rushed to take to their stations, but Shiro hesitated when he peered at Lotor lingering at the back, unwilling to leave him unchecked.

Miyuzuki growled, and Keith shared the feeling. 'Go. I'll watch him,' He said.

Shiro met his stare, then curtly nodded before he took the Black Paladin's seat. Keith scowled when Lotor raised a fair, sleek eyebrow at him, but said nothing; he didn't even try to conceal the judgement behind his gaze. Asperatia landed and hissed at his monkey daemon when he tried to approach Lance's chair, Nuejia perched on the armrest. The monkey sulkily stopped and returned the gesture by baring it's fangs.

Allura activated the Castle from her podium, the engine whirring as the thrusters engaged and it lurched forward, 'Coran, what's happening?'

'A Galra fleet has warped onto our location! Enemy fighters are targeting the particle barrier!' Coran reported from the fore console.

'My generals must have reported our escape,' Lotor deduced and Lance swivelled in his chair with a slack jaw.

'You didn't tell them we were leaving?!'

'They fear Zarkon, more than they love me,' Lotor stated, a genuine tone of bitter sadness quivered in his voice. 'They would have never deserted.'

'Yeah, sorry not-sorry to break this up— but we kinda gotta worry about ourselves right now!' Pidge snapped, Vexenon a jewelled beetle buzzing around her head.

'Allura, how soon can we wormhole?' Shiro asked and winced when the bridge shuddered again.

'Now!' Allura closed her eyes in concentration.

It was close. With so many Galra fighters swarming, it'd been tricky to shake them off, but they managed it some how. They disappeared through the wormhole, leaving the Galra fleet, the ice planet and all that had happened down there behind.

* * *

'And you're sure you're okay?' Hunk asked for the fifth time that day, and Lance groaned a  _yes_  around the thermometer Coran had stuck in his mouth. 'Lotor didn't do anything freaky to you?'

After they'd arrived in a galaxy far far away, Shiro and Keith had volunteered to be the ones to escort Lotor to a cell, despite Lance's protests that that wasn't necessary. As for himself, Allura had ushered him into the med ward to have Coran run a diagnosis.

'No. I don't get why you keep asking that,' Lance said when his tongue was free again, Coran giving him the all clear. Nuejia cooed beside his knee on the bed he sat on, enjoying herself as she nuzzled with Kala'ina into Vexenon's speckled fur; who had turned into a black bobcat and purred contently. Aurora watched the smaller daemons fondly, and nipped at Aminon's tail when he trotted past.

'There's something different about you,' Pidge stated.

Lance frowned, 'What do you mean?'

'Well—I can't quite place it. But you're positively glowing, Lance!' Allura remarked. Lance frowned for the briefest of seconds before he played it off with a grin. A compliment was a compliment, wasn't it?

'Guess whatever Lotor did to heal me worked,' He quipped, and then turned serious. 'So, what are we doing with Lotor?'

Allura's brow furrowed, 'We are still…undecided. But Lance, you are certain about this? Lotor, he— I'm not entirely sure if we can trust him. He  _is_  Zarkon's son.'

'Trust me princess,' Lance grinned. 'I got a good feeling about this.'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed this chapter! If you are liking this, please consider leaving a kudos or comment to let me know how I'm doing! Once again, thank you for reading, and as always,
> 
> Until next time folks!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 5! Apologises for the long wait. Been super busy, but Season 6 (heh, heh) gave me so much motivation for Klance.
> 
> In regards to some questions about the pacing, I'm aware that things move fast in this story. However the reason for that is because, I just-- really don't like it when an author drags out the story by posting chapters, and essentially nothing happens? With a fast-paced story, it's easy to quickly catch up, but I know that if you're going too slow, posting chapters that don't do anything for the story or characters, people get bored easily and lose interest. Hell, I've dropped fics that I adored because the author kept stringing me along -__-
> 
> So yeah, I like to keep things hard, fast, and intriguing. I like to always keep the story and character development moving forward, I like things to change. I don't want to have this to be a ridiculously long-chaptered story because lately they've been a turn off for me (por example - "oh great 60 chapters I have to read") but I will say that I pull it back abit on the pacing. I do want this to be good, so thank you for the suggestion. 
> 
> Anyways, here is the next chapter lovelies,
> 
> Enjoy!

‘I know we may have had our differences in past, but now is time to move past them. There is no doubt in my mind that with our forces combined, we can put an end to Zarkon’s tyranny,’ Lotor finished with a bow of his head. 

Lance gulped and then glanced at the others. He wouldn’t lie; it didn’t look good. Lotor stood before them on the bridge—now free of his shackles after Lance’s repeated insistence—like a defendant before a jury. A very unimpressed jury.

‘You still haven’t spilled how you just “happened” to be in the exact same place as we were,’ Pidge sarcastically bit, emphasising her point with air quotations whilst Vexenon, a small wasp, crawled on the rim of her glasses.

‘There’s no happened about it. He followed us.’ Keith glared. He hadn’t stopped since the prince had arrived at the Castle, and there were moments when Lance swore he caught him in the corner of his eye reaching for his knife.

Lotor’s brow twitched, the only minute tell that he wasn’t entirely as collected as he appeared, ‘Now that simply isn’t true. I assure you our encounter was purely a coincidence. Believe it or not, my generals and I had been investigating that base for a reason unrelated to Voltron.’

‘And what was that?’ Hunk asked.

‘Some time ago, I learnt that Zarkon’s Witch, Haggar, had been paying frequent visits to the faculty. I decided it was worth looking into. She and I have a shared interest in the scientific field of quintessence manipulation, that in particular of altean alchemy,’ Lotor said.

Hunk folded his arms, ‘Go on.’

‘I was correct in my hunch. In the base, Haggar had been researching into a particular legend, one that spoke of a secret society existing among the greatest of altean alchemists. These alteans possessed vast wells of knowledge and extraordinary magical abilities. They were known as the ‘Life Givers’, and they worshipped the legend of the creation of the universe,’ Lotor elaborated before he looked to Allura. 

‘Princess, are you aware of the myth?’ He asked.

Allura nodded, ‘Yes. Though you might wish to explain for the paladins’ sake.’

Lotor bowed his head, ‘Very well. In Galra culture, it is foretold that all life in the universe began from a cosmic egg—’

‘Actually, I think you’ll find that it was a _seed_ that birthed the universe,’ Coran piped up and Allura nodded her agreement. Lance chuckled to himself, because wasn’t that religion in a nutshell? There’d never be one universally agreed upon telling of that kind of story.

A faint line crinkled between Lotor’s brows, ‘Well, regardless. As I was told, from this cosmic egg hatched the entire universe and from it’s quintessence, created the stars and the planets. As time passed and the universe grew, the individuals born from it came to desire understanding. They wanted to know more about the universe they lived in.

A technologically advanced race of giants believed that they could harness the universe’s quintessence by reaching into the Life Stream, the realm in-between realms where all quintessence comes from. However, when they attempted such as feat, their experiment disturbed the balance upon which all life and death is governed, and half the universe’s population was wiped out.’

Lance couldn’t look away, and from the look on the others’ faces, neither could they. Lotor cleared his throat before he went on,

‘To counteract this sudden imbalance in the universe, the Life Stream created what ancient texts refer to as most commonly as ‘The Light’, or otherwise, ‘The Heart’ of the universe. Some scriptures and passages speak of it as an object of immense energy, whilst others say that it was an entity, some benevolent deity.

Whatever it was, the Heart radiated pure unlimited quintessence, and that in it’s presence, life flourished and the imbalance was corrected.’

As Lance scratched his chin, Nuejia dropped down from his head onto his shoulder and wiggled her tail feather, ‘So, it’s like the universe’s Holy Grail.’

When Lotor frowned in confusion, Shiro spoke up, ‘Back on Earth, it was a legendary cup that was blessed with holy powers by a god.’

‘Ah. Yes, it is indeed like that, in a sense.’ Lotor smiled at Lance, and Lance’s stomach did a somersault.

‘Okay, but why does this Life Givers stuff matter? Why is this relevant?’ Keith challenged.

‘It matters because I have reason to believe that King Alfor was a Life Giver.’ Lotor narrowed his eyes.

‘What?!’ Allura exclaimed and Aurora growled at her feet, ‘What evidence has led you to such an assumption?’

‘I discovered through my research that the Life Givers used enchanted stones known as ‘compass stones’ to navigate to their sacred sites of worship.’ Lotor elaborated.

Keith rolled his eyes, and Lance wanted to elbow him to get him to cut it out, ‘Again, how is this relevant?’

‘Because when I was searching through the faculty, I discovered such a stone hidden among Haggar’s work,’ Lotor reached into his pocket and withdrew the same stone that Lance remembered Valerian bringing to him in the Sincline ship before they left. ‘According to the Haggar’s notes, it was taken from King Alfor’s study the day Altea was destroyed.’

‘That’s—’ Allura gasped before she held out her hand, ‘May I?’

‘Of course princess,’ Lotor said and handed it to Valerian, who then scuttled over and gave it to Allura. A line creased between her brows as she turned the stone over, examining it from all angles. After she completed her own examination, she brought it down to her lioness daemon to inspect.

‘It is indeed of altean make,’ Aurora rumbled and then sniffed it, ‘I smell Zarkon’s witch, but beneath that, Father.’

‘Fascinating. Let’s say, hypothetically, we manage to activate this compass stone. Then what?’ Pidge asked.

‘With any luck, the stone will reveal to us the location of a site in connection to the Heart.’ Lotor returned.

Coran straightened his collar, ‘But why even seek this Heart in the first place? It’s hardly as if we have time to spare, what between liberating planets and strengthening the Voltron Coalition.’

‘As the legends tell us, the Heart is a relic tied to the quintessence of the Life Stream. With it, not only will it bolster the Coalition’s resources, effectively turning the tide in this war, but it will also provide the solution to a greater problem. 

The Galra Empire is built upon quintessence consumption, it cannot function without it. With the Heart, I will be able to provide my people with infinite quantities of clean quintessence without resorting to the violent methods Zarkon employs. Never again will another civilisation nor planet have to suffer because of us.’ The galra prince elaborated.

The following silence was broken by Hunk’s low whistle, ‘Wow. You’ve really planned this out, huh?’

Lotor smiled, ‘Quite.’

‘Guys, _guys_ ,’ Lance gasped, swatting Hunk’s forearm in excitement, ‘you know what time it is?’

‘Time to reconsider our life choices?’ Pidge snorted.

‘Adventure time! Obscene legend, ancient temples? We got ourselves a quest! Quest! Quest! Quest!’ Lance chanted as he pumped his fists, Hunk and Pidge laughing as they joined in with the obnoxious chant.

‘Like Indiana Jones! Shiro! Shiro, if Allura gives you her whip and we get you a hat—’

‘I am _not_ wearing a fedora.’ Shiro shook his head with a sigh.

‘You’d love it.’ Keith teased and got a playful shove for it. 

Allura pointedly cleared her throat for quiet, ‘In any case, the question remains of how we actually unlock this compass stone.’

‘Princess, I believe that searching through King Alfor’s research and records may yet yield a clue. With your permission, I wish to do so.’ Lotor said.

‘You may, though Coran and myself with assist in the search.’ Allura nodded and Pidge hopped up and down with her arm raised.

‘I can read Altean! Let me help.’

‘Then let’s divide the work between us and report any findings we may discover. After all, many hands make light work.’

* * *

 

‘Well, I’m gonna hit up the training deck. Gotta keep the sharpshooter sharp, you know?’ Lance stretched his shoulders back with crack, and Keith jumped when Shiro leaned into his space.

‘You should go with him,’ His smile widening to a grin when Miyuzuki rubbed up against Keith’s thigh and Asperatia cooed at him from Keith’s shoulder.

‘You know, bonding time.’ The dog daemon lolled between happy pants.

Keith shifted his weight from one foot to the other, glancing up to see that Lance was gone, ‘I—I don’t know. It feels kinda—’

‘Awkward. It feels awkward.’ Asperatia finished for him.

‘What are you talking about? This is Lance,’ Shiro raised an eyebrow.

‘Yeah, that’s the reason why—I mean—Argh! Shiro, you know I’m bad at that stuff. You saw what happened before. The moments gone, it’d be weird if I go up to him now.’

Shiro gave a small laugh, though immediately clamped his lips together when Keith scowled at him. He held up his hands in peace, ‘Okay, okay. But you seriously, you might feel like it’s awkward, but all you have to do is break the ice. Then it’ll go back to normal.’

‘It won’t,’ Keith crossed his arms, trying to hide how his hands trembled, ‘Lance said he remembered the bonding moment.’

Shiro’s jaw dropped, ‘No!’

‘Yeah.’

‘I _knew_ it!’

‘So you get it, right?’ Keith’s shoulder slumped, not even Asperatia’s affectionate effects to tickle his ears drawing a response. Shiro looked him, and then took a deep breath before he placed both hands on Keith’s shoulders, turning him towards him.

‘Keith, there is absolutely no reason whatsoever why Lance should think any different of him about what happened. The bonding moment happened, and Lance is dealing with that in his own way—’

‘Except now he _knows_ I know he knows—’

‘So looking forward, it’s what you do now that counts. Be yourself. That’s the best advice anyone was ever given me.’

‘But— Shiro, what if I can’t? What if it’s weird?’ Keith shivered, his voice cracking at the end.

Shiro smiled a warm, wise smile, ‘Keith, you’re a bright, strong, confident, interesting guy that anyone would be lucky to be liked by. This isn’t some stranger. This is Lance, and he’s got a good heart. He cares about you Keith, so don’t panic. Don’t overthink this, have fun, and most of all: be yourself.’

Asperatia’s tail fanned out behind her as she bobbed her head, clicking her beak next to Keith’s cheek, ‘I want to see Lance and Nuejia now.’

‘That’s the spirit!’ Miyuzuki barked.

‘If we’re going to Lance, why don’t you follow your own advice and go see how Allura’s doing?’ The eagle daemon cocked back. Miyuzuki whined and Shiro’s ears went red before he awkwardly cleared his throat and gave Keith a shove toward the door.

‘Go on. Get out of here before I find Lance myself and tell him what a little shit you are.’

Sniggering beneath his breath, Asperatia impatiently soaring on ahead of him, Keith left the bridge in significantly better spirits.

* * *

Nuejia screeched but Lance couldn’t hear her, couldn’t reach her. They’d gotten separated in the chaos and that had been their mistake. Taking on a training exercise meant for five people alone had been a mistake.  He’d wanted to prove to himself (and Lotor) that he had his mojo back, that— _yeah_ , he was a class sharpshooter…But then again, hindsight was a wonderful thing. 

The training drones whirred, peppering Lance’s shield as he struggled under their bombardment. The pressure was unrelenting, his shoulder cramping under the strain as it built and built and built. He had to get out of this trap before it crushed him. He had to get out. He had—to stop it— _now!_

_Lance!_

Lance’s eyes snapped open, and something—something inside him he couldn’t name nor see—snapped to. With a burst of light, the Red Bayard’s form changed in his hand. Longer, thinner, weighted. It was no gun. Lance knew what it was before it settled, and he knew what to do.

He swung, the blade singing through the air to cleave through three aligned drones. He didn’t hesitate, moving as he’d seen Keith do, pivoted and sliced through the remaining bots. He did freeze then, breathing hard as sudden silence stilled the hall. Nuejia was quick to fly back, dark eyes twinkling with awe as Lance stiffly relaxed out of the pose he’d finished in.

‘Whoa,’ He breathed and gripped the new red and white sword tight as he gawked up at it. A new bayard form. A sword, similar to the one Keith used.

‘Do not follow in his footsteps,’ Iverson’s words echoed in his mind to make his brows furrow. The Red Lion, now a sword. Yeah. Look how well that was going for him. 

Sometimes that was all he seemed to do: follow in someone else’s footsteps. No matter how hard he tried to define himself on his own, something always came along to take it away from him. First Blue, now this…Why a sword? He didn’t have training, he didn’t know how to use a blade. He was supposed to be the team’s sharpshooter.

‘I haven’t seen that for ten-thousand years,’ Allura’s voice rang out from behind him.

‘A-Allura?’ Lance turned to see her and Aurora approach, her eyes soft as they gazed up at his sword with nostalgia. Nuejia flew from his shoulder to perch onto the lioness’ great head, chirping in greeting as the other chuffed her own.

‘It’s an Altean Broadsword. My father used one just like it.’

‘I have no idea how I did this.’ He admitted, trying to ignore the creeping chill, like a droplet of cold water, crawling down his spine. It wasn’t just a sword. It was King Alfor’s sword, the same one he wielded as the Red Paladin. Allura’s dad, the King of Altea, the legend who had freaking made Voltron. And Lance was holding his sword.

‘I think your bayard is telling you something. You have greatness within,’ Allura smiled, and Lance couldn’t understand the sudden tightness of his throat when he looked at her. ‘I know it.’

‘How’s the research going?’ He diverted, dropping his stare to the floor.

‘Nothing has bore fruit yet. After seeing him work though, I must admit my judgement of Lotor’s character has changed.’

‘Yeah?’ Nuejia piped up with hope.

‘He is a dedicated scholar. We spoke much of the time of peace our fathers worked together to secure. Not only is he well-educated in Altean history, he is actually a great admirer of my father’s work,’ Allura said, a faint blush colouring her cheeks at the end. ‘Particularly his research on quintessence manipulation and his collaboration with the great altean alchemist Honerva on the Rift.’

‘That’s cool, I guess,’ Lance gave a weak smile, ‘just—you know, try to stay focused on the goal? We need a way to open that stone—thingy so we can find the…’

‘Sacred site?’ Allura smirked.

‘Scared site. I knew that.’ Lance sheepishly scratched his nose. Allura raised a fair eyebrow at him before she gave a musical laugh that made Lance’s chest clench. It wasn’t a nervous flutter, nor a throb of attraction. It hurt, as though someone had grabbed his heart and was squeezing. Nuejia gave a choked sob, and before Aurora could ask, she was away and tucking herself into Lance’s collar. Neither of them understood the pinched sadness that didn’t feel their own.

‘Regardless, you have a point. I will return to the search. The sooner we find what we’re looking for, the better,’ Allura sighed. She flicked her fingers to motion the lioness to follow when she didn’t immediately move, too distracted and concerned at Nuejia’s attempts to make herself as small as possible.

‘Oh, and Lance? If you’re going to wield a sword that powerful, you may want to work on your stance. Think about getting yourself a teacher. Keith will be about I’m sure, I saw him wandering the corridors on my way over.’

Lance gave a numb nod, and watched her leave until the doors closed behind her before he looked back to the sword. The tip, now dejectedly drooped pointed at the floor. 

‘What was that?’ Nuejia choked, ‘Why do I feel so…’

‘I—I don’t know,’ Lance muttered. His head felt like a blender, half-finished thoughts and hitched panic all liquefied together to make a confused slop; Keith, Alfor, the Red Lion, Alfor’s Sword, “Don’t follow in his footsteps”, and Allura, all swum around and around in his head, questions with no hint of answers. ‘I don’t know, Nuejia.’

‘What should we do?’

Lance closed his eyes as he breathed in, allowing his bayard to shrink to it’s resting form, ‘We have to talk to someone about this.’

* * *

 

_CLINK CLINK_

Lance’s head snapped up and he launched himself off his bed for the door. When it slid open, he reached out and dragged Hunk in before the Yellow Paladin could even open his mouth.

‘Dude!’ Hunk squeaked, Kala’ina buzzing around his head. His expression sobered when he saw how pale Lance was as he paced around the room. ‘Uh—dude? You—You okay?’

When Lance didn’t reply, Hunk took his arm and gently led him to sit down on the bed. They’d done this before many times back on Earth; stress, crushes, family or garrison worries, it didn’t matter; one of them would listen, and the other would unload. ‘Lance, whatever’s bothering you, you can tell me about it. Talk to me. No judgement pact, remember?’

Lance exhaled a shaky breath, ‘I unlocked another form of my bayard. It was a sword.’

‘That’s—!’

‘It was an altean broadsword. The one Allura’s dad, King Alfor used.’

‘Ok—ay, and why are you bummed about that?’ Hunk raised an eyebrow and Lance waved his hands out.

‘No! No, he’s—y’know— like, a legend. It’s an honour really, I just…’ He sighed and balled the bedcovers tight in his fists. Nuejia nuzzling against his neck gave him the strength to keep going. ‘Okay, this is gonna sound weird, but I have to talk about it. I gotta sort it out before it makes my brain melt.’

‘What do you mean?’ Hunk asked.

Lance took another long moment to try to sort through his feelings, ‘The first time we arrived at the Castle, the first time I saw Allura, I felt my heart was gonna explode.’

‘Yeah, you were drooling all over her,’ Hunk smirked, but Lance shook his head.

‘No, it— it wasn’t like that, at first it…’

‘Lance?’

Lance stared at the floor, a glassy, haunted look in his eyes. ‘You’re gonna think I’m crazy,’ He breathed.

A hand on his shoulder squeezed reassuringly, ‘You’re my best friend, buddy. Crazy or not.’

A deep breath in, ‘When I first saw Allura, I felt like I was gonna laugh and cry at the same time. It was literally the first time I’d ever seen her in my life, and yet— it felt like I knew her, somehow, and—’ Lance touched his heart, feeling it race like a trapped humming bird. ‘and that I— that I loved her.’

Hunk’s eyes went wide, and Lance couldn’t look at him, too conscious of what he’d just said. 

‘Lance, what are you saying? Are you—Is this for real? You used the “L” word, man. You _love_ Allura?’

There was a noise outside the door, a scuffle of feet, but it didn’t register to Lance, who was too lost in his own head.

‘I—yeah. I do, I do but—it’s not what you think. I thought it was. I thought I had the biggest crush in the history of crushes. I wanted to be close to her, and I wanted her to never stop smiling.’

‘If it’s not like that, then what is it? Because it—it seriously sounds like you’re in love with Allura.’ Hunk frowned.

Lance squirmed and ran his hand through his hair. He froze when he felt Kala’ina land on his hand, shivering at the sensation. With a sweet tweet, Nuejia hopped down his arm to nuzzle Hunk’s own hand. The air vibrated between them, similar in ways, but different from the way it had between Lance and Lotor. It was comfort, home, sunbathing, cool milkshakes on the beach and old friends.

‘I love her Hunk, but…I know I’m not _in love_ with her. She—she feels like family to me. I think I’ve always felt that way, just got confused about it at the start.’

Hunk pressed his lips together as he stroked Nuejia, drawing another shiver from Lance as their souls rubbed up against each other. ‘I honestly don’t know what to say, Lance. That’s heavy. That’s really, really heavy.’

‘Yeah. Feels good to get it off my chest.’

Hunk’s hand stopped its stroking, ‘You said that Allura comparing you to King Alfor brought this on?'

Lance looked to him with a frown, ‘Yeah, that’s right.’

‘Okay. Okay, my turn to sound like the crazy one. But is it possible that there’s— some kind of connection between you and King Alfor? Like, you’ve both piloted the Red Lion. You’ve literally just unlocked his sword, and…’

‘And?’ Lance prompted, not liking one bit the way Hunk uncomfortably averted his stare, 

‘And King Alfor was the last person Allura saw before she fell asleep. You were the first when she woke up. It just seems kinda, weirdly coincidental, you know? ’ He finished uneasily, and Lance slowly sat up as he felt the same icy water trickle down his spine.

‘Father!’ That’s what Allura had called that out before she’d fallen out of the pod and Lance had caught her. 

Hunk was right. Once was chance. Twice was coincidence. Three times? Three times was a pattern. Lance pushed off the bed and staggered over to the opposite wall with legs of jello, Kala’ina buzzing in distress as she fell away from him. He pressed his hands against it, trying to ground himself as the room began to spin.

‘Lance? Are you okay?’ Hunk slowly rose up after him, cautious as who would be approaching a wild animal. 

‘I gotta— I—’ Lance rasped, his head throbbing, blood ringing in his ears to drown out all other sound. His heartbeat bounced off the walls as the floor swayed from under him, ‘I need some air.’

‘We’ll come with you.’ Kala’ina said, but Lance was already moving for the door.

‘Lance! Lance, wait!’ Hunk called after him, his voice echoing after Lance as he sprinted down the hall. 

Nuejia flew ahead of him, and Lance followed. He didn’t care where she leading him, he was just wanted to run. Like the times back on the white hot sands of Varadero beach. Run and run until his legs collapsed and he didn’t have the energy to think; chasing the wild and irrational idea that if he could just run fast enough, just reach that little bit farther, he could outrun the world to where home was waiting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed this chapter. If you are liking this story, please take the time to leave a comment. They really help out and brighten my day. Once again, thank you for reading, and as always,
> 
> Until next time folks!


	6. Chapter 6

'We don't have to be here if you're not up to it.'

'I want to be here Nuejia.'

'No, you don't.'

Lance glanced up from half-heartedly prodding his lime food-goo to frown at Nuejia, the white wag-tail balancing on the rim of his plate.

'What's gotten into you?' He frowned through their bond.

'Everyone else is thinking the same about you! Hunk hasn't stopped trying to get our attention since we sat down, and I'm sure Aurora suspects something's going on,' Nuejia bit back, 'So straighten up before we get any awkward questions.'

'Whatever.' Lance huffed and slouched back in his chair. It wasn't like he was the only one acting up.

For whatever reason, Keith came in in a right foul mood, practically sulking across the table from Lance. Lotor sat to Lance's right with Allura, the two so engrossed in their research that they'd brought the texts to read at the table (something Lance knew his mum would have a fit over if they  _dared_  try and pull in her home). Pidge had her nose pressed against her laptop screen ignoring them, which left the only one acting relatively normal as Shiro; and even then he kept nervously looking over to Keith as though he were a time bomb waiting to pop.

At the head of the table, Miyuzuki and Aurora snoozed together whilst Valerian slowly carded his little hands through Aurora's soft underbelly fur. It was a quiet meal, and it felt unsettlingly so; a noticeable void that should of been filled with squeals, caws and the frenzied rush and tumble of play. The daemons that could fly should have been gliding above them as they ate, racing and pretending to dogfight. Instead they were grounded, sticking close to their other half and far from the other daemons, only looks and flighting stares connecting them.

'Humph! Be that way then,' Nuejia flicked her tail at him before she hopped her way over to Asperatia. But when she drew close, the golden-eagle daemon snapped her beak at her with a spit and a hiss. Nuejia squeaked and darted away, coming to land near Aurora, Miyuzuki and Valerian. She hopped closer and chirped for attention.

* * *

Keith narrowed his eyes at how Valerian immediately stopped grooming Aurora to turn to Nuejia, softly cooing as he scooped her up. Another red flash of jealousy pulsated through their bond when Asperatia noticed as well. That monkey had  _no_   _business_ —

Lotor gave a soft chuckle at whatever he and Allura had been discussing, smiling pleased at Nuejia and Valerian together before he looked to Lance, 'Now Lance, Allura has told me that you have unlocked an altean broadsword within your bayard. The way same as King Alfor's, I believe. Most impressive.'

Keith's eyebrows shot up as he snapped his head back to Lance, who had slumped even further into his seat. That was news! Lance— Lance had unlocked a sword, and he'd missed it?!

'This day just keeps getting better and better,' Asperatia growled lowly, summing it up perfectly.

'Yeah. I guess.' Lance shrugged, his air of dejectedness striking to Keith as odd. Wasn't Lance usually go over compliments? The closer Keith looked, the more he realised how upset Lance was; pale, eyes puffy and slightly red.

Keith's gut twisted into a knot. Had— had Lance been crying? Asperatia gave a mournful click of her beak and began to move down the table towards Nuejia.

He opened his mouth to say something, when Lotor cut him off, 'Might I inquire whether you would be interested in learning how to properly wield it? If that is so, I would be glad to offer my mentorship, I am most proficient in the ways blade, particularly that of the altean forms.'

Keith could feel Shiro's stare burning a hole into his temple, and gave a curt shake of his head, ' _No._ '

'Keith can also handle a sword,' Shiro abruptly spoke up and it took everything Keith had not to spontaneously combust on the spot when all eyes turned onto him. Across from him, Lance straighten up in his seat, his brows raised in surprise.

'Is that so?' Lotor cooly remarked, though his friendly tone was not matched to the Mona Lisa smile—a smile that hinted only a vague reflection of kindness— schooled on his lips.

At the end of the table, Valerian silently bared his fangs at Asperatia when she came within range. He clutched Nuejia against his chest, the little bird uncomfortably squirming in his too-tight grasp.

'Yeah,' Keith said, tilting his chin up, 'Yeah, I fight with a sword.'

'Ah yes, now I recall. Though if I were you, I would hesitate to call myself a swordsman if I wielded a blade in the manner you do.'

'What?' Keith snapped as Asperatia reared her wings and hissed at Valerian. Sensing the rising tension, Miyuzuki shook off his slumber and clambered off Aurora, the lioness' great head following him, and padded over to the eagle daemon, rubbing up against her to convey his support.

Lotor waved his hand out in a dismissive fashion, 'Forgive me, but I have observed you in combat, and your form lacks a certain finesse to it. A sword is just that, not some unwieldily club to be flailed about.'

'I do what I have to get results.'

Lotor raised a fair sleek brow, 'I see. Victory or death, eh? How very galra—or should I say—Zarkon of you.'

'Did—did I, miss something?' Pidge whispered into Hunk's ear as her eyes, no longer fixed to her screen, darted back and forth between Keith and Lotor. The two of them openly glared daggers at each other, their daemons rearing and spitting.

'I'm just as confused as you,' Hunk muttered back, hushing Kala'ina to stay close when she had began to tremble.

There was a sing of air, and then a  _thud!_ Keith's knife embedded itself into the back of Lotor's chair, shaving off strands of white and inches from nicking his pointed ear. In the same instant, Valerian lunged for Asperatia, releasing Nuejia with a shriek. The daemon collided in a fury of talons and fangs, feather and fur blending together as they rolled screaming down the table.

'Whoa!' Lance, Pidge and hunk scrambled out of their chairs out of the way, clutching their daemons safe to them.

Miyuzuki barked as Shiro backed away, 'Keith!'

On his feet, Keith ground his teeth, pushing through the shared pain he felt through Asperatia as the monkey ripped at her feathers, 'I am  _not_  Zarkon.'

'You were the Black Paladin, were you not?' Lotor mused, raising his voice to be heard over the daemons screeches, 'A galra as the Black Paladin has proven a devastating combination before, no?'

The prince's yellow eyes suddenly wide before they swept onto Lance, seeing something Keith couldn't.

With a haul, Valerian broke away from Asperatia, a nasty gnash staining his white face red. Asperatia flapped her wings threateningly, screeching her victory cry as the monkey daemon scurried back and onto Lotor's shoulders.

'Keith is right,' Allura stated, her frown stern at Lotor, 'Only the narrowed minded would be able to suggest as such. He has more than earned his place with Voltron.'

'Yeah, which is more than you'll ever be able to do.' Pidge snarked with her arms folded.

But Lotor wasn't listening for being too deep in thought, 'Yes, yes my sincerest apologises,' He muttered, 'I did not mean to offend…If you'll excuse me.'

Keith glared at him as he quickly bowed to Allura before hurrying from the dining hall. Asperatia swooped over to rest on his shoulder, still agitated and wound up from her battle.

'I could of torn him apart,' She snarled, talon digging into Keith's protected shoulder pads, 'I wanted to.'

Keith took that as their cue to leave, before she could turned her pent rage on the others or the cutlery. Ignoring how Shiro looked at him, Keith stalked away from the table for the door, yanking his knife out of Lotor's chair on his way past.

He found himself treading the same route he had earlier, the same route that had taken past Lance's bedroom door and he had overheard Lance and Hunk's conversation.

'I first saw Allura…it felt like I knew her, somehow, and—and that I— that I loved her.'

Keith winced at the memory. He—he didn't want to think about that now. He and Asperatia were on edge, and they needed a place they could cool off. Maybe the training deck; punch training bots, pretending they were Lotor until his arms and head went numb.

'Wait,' Asperatia muttered and cocked her head, 'Do you hear that?'

Keith stopped and listened to hear footsteps bouncing off the walls as they got louder and nearer. Imagine his surprise when Lance came skidding around the corner, looking flushed and out of breath.

'You—walk—so fast,' He wheezed out between pants. Bent over to catch his breath, he missed the confused look Keith and Asperatia exchanged between them.

'What do you want?' Keith snapped, internally cringing at how defensive he sounded. God, he  _was_  bad at this.

'Wanted to see if you were okay,' Lance replied, his dark thin brows pulled together as he looked Keith up and down with concern, 'You looked kinda off before Lotor said that jerk stuff.'

'Shouldn't he be checking if Allura's okay?' Asperatia bitterly spat, but Keith scowled at through their bond. That wasn't fair. Lance had been down himself but he'd still noticed that he was upset. He could have chosen to stay in the dining room, with Allura and the others, but he didn't. He chose him.

'I guess I'm still trying to wind down after the last mission,' Keith shrugged, then tensed when he realised the implication. Quizack.

'Well…' Lance scratched the back of his head, 'Do you maybe, wanna blow off some steam on the training deck?'

'You could show us how to use a sword!' Nuejia excitedly piped up, her head popping out from Lance's hoodie.

Keith didn't expect the sudden rush of heat flooding to his cheeks, and he prayed that Lance didn't notice as he stiffly nodded his head, 'Y-Yeah. Okay.'

'Super! Asperatia, I bet I can beat you there!' Nuejia sang before she flung herself into the air.

Like a cloud moving away, Keith smiled when he felt Asperatia's temper evaporate. She could away stay mad when Nuejia called to her like that; the call to fly, to play, it was irresistible.

'You couldn't with a head-start!' She laughed before she launched off Keith like a rocket, her great wings unfurling to cleave through the air. Talking of head-starts—

'Nuejia! Wait up!' Lance cried as he ran after his giggling daemon, who had forgotten in her desperation to win the bond's distance limit. Keith laughed under his breath before he took off after them, a competitive smirk pulling at his lips and a glint in his eye.

* * *

'No. No, no, like  _this_ ,' Keith widened his stance and bounced his knees to demonstrate his point and the importance of keeping loose, 'You gotta be light on your feet. You don't want to tense and freeze up.'

'That's what I am doing!' Lance whined as he shuffled himself to mirror Keith's new position, still with his elbows locked out holding his sword in front of him. 'I'm loose!'

Keith rolled his eyes and jabbed hard at Lance's shoulder, causing him to wail as he stumbled back off-balance. From across the hall where they were playing tag, Nuejia and Asperatia laughed at their counterparts.

'Ow?!'

'If you were loose, you would of rolled with that punch, not absorbed it. I mean it, stay loose,' Keith stressed and nodded when Lance forced himself to relax and allow most of the tension to drain from his posture. 'Okay, good. But—uh, now your hips aren't right.'

'So, like this?' Lance twisted himself even further out of line.

Keith shook his head, 'No, like—'

Without thinking about it, he stepped close and placed both hands on Lance's hips, feeling the slimness of his waistline, to gently guide them right. Lance's blue eyes went wide and it was only when Asperatia mentally flashed him the image of how the two of them were standing together did Keith realise how suggestive it. Despite the flush of his cheeks, he jumped and reluctantly removed his hands and resumed the distance between them. He didn't notice the rosy quality of Lance's own cheeks.

'Y-Yeah, like that,' Keith stammered, then forcefully cleared his throat to get rid of the nervous raspiness, 'I gotta say that it's kinda a relief you have a short range weapon now.'

'What do you mean?' Lance asked as he waved about his sword.

'You won't be so exposed now that you can switch between the ranges.'

'Aw, you worried about me?' Lance wiggled his eyebrows.

Keith bristled and struck without warning, grabbing Lance's hand that held his sword. He twisted it, causing Lance to drop it with a cry before pivoting, slotting his body against Lance's, bent his knees and judo-threw him over his shoulder. Lance gasped as his back hit the ground, knocking the wind out of him, and Keith was quick to straddle his chest, pinning him from above.

'If you can get knocked down so easily like that? Terrified,' Keith smirked down at him, and then was distracted at the mystified way Lance stared at him. 'What?'

'Nothing, I mean—,' Lance looked away, the starry-eyed look gone and now faraway, 'I was just thinking about something Iverson said to me the night we saved Shiro, the day we left Earth.'

'Yeah?'

'He told— well, more like  _yelled_  at me— that I'd do well not to follow in your footsteps. Just kinda makes you laugh because, ha— look how well that's going for me.'

The earlier playfulness gone, Keith eased off the pressure by resting back on his calves and waited for him to keep going. Beneath him, Lance let out a barked huff and tilted his chin off to the side.

'Lately, it feels like that's all I've been doing. Following in someone's footsteps.'

Keith frowned, 'What are you talking about?'

Lance hesitated, a long moment of uncertain pause, and then he spoke. He spoke about how he had unlocked Alfor's sword, what Allura had said to him and about the conversation he'd had with Hunk. Once he started, he didn't stop, and Keith stayed silent throughout the entire thing, watching Lance with a laser-focused stare as he committed his words to memory. When Lance came to the part in his conversation with Hunk about Allura, Keith felt himself shudder with relief when Lance clarified what he'd meant: he wasn't in love with her, but loved her like family.

After Lance had finished, he gave a short nod, 'You're right. Once is chance, twice is coincidence, three times is a pattern.'

Lance closed his eyes, resigned, 'You think so to, huh?'

'It's definitely weird.'

'What's your gut telling you? It's normally right about things.'

Keith cocked his head, listening hard, 'I'm…not sure. It thinks that  _something_  is going on.'

'Well, that's extremely helpful and specific.'

'Don't ask next time then.'

'No way. Learnt that lesson the hard way,' Lance grinned, and Keith winced, still able to recall in frightening detail how faint Lance's pulse had ebbed, how limp and heavy he'd weighed in his arms.

'I'm sorry,' He choked, throat tight, 'If I'd—'

'Keith, it's not your fault. You pegged something was off right away, and we'd of aborted if I hadn't insisted we stayed. It's all on me, buddy, not you.'

'I thought you were going to die. I thought you…' Keith trailed off with a shake of his head, unable to find words as his chest felt like it was being torn inside out all over again. Out of line of sight, Asperatia and Nuejia rubbed up against each other, nuzzling and grooming the other between sorrowful coos.

'Hey,' Keith's breath caught in his throat when Lance sat up, wrapped his arms around him and pressed him against him. Keith shuddered and buried his head into his shoulder, 'It's okay. It's okay, I'm here. You're okay, I'm okay.'

'You almost weren't. You were so  _still_.'

'Keith, look at me,' Lance pulled back so that blue eyes met indigo, 'What happened happened, we can't change that. What matters is what's happening now, and right now. I'm right in front of you. I'm here, I'm still standing, and Zarkon's gonna have to try a lot harder if he wants to ice this piece of sweet ass.'

Despite himself, Keith snorted before he good-naturedly shoved Lance back so he could clamber to his feet, 'Not sure about sweet, but the ass part is right.'

'Nu-uh, I only heard, "the ass is right",' Lance grinned as he accepted Keith's hand up and used it to heave himself to his feet.

'You  _are_  an ass.' Keith rolled his eyes with a smirk.

'Yeah, yeah mullet. You'd be lost without me.' Lance fanned his hand airily.

'Wow, maybe Zarkon is onto something.'

'Like you'd ever let him get near me,' Lance chimed, and through their bond, Keith heard Asperatia hum with approval, 'Robot cat's out the bag now mister grumpy pants, you care about little ol' Lancey Lance~'

'Say whatever you gotta say to make yourself feel better,' Keith batted back, trying to ignore how fast his heart raced. How much he wanted to just be honest and say, 'Yes, yes I do care about you. I care about you so much that it keeps me up at night and that I can't think straight when you smile.'

'Okay, now get into position and follow my lead,' He said instead, taking out his knife and activating it. Lance smirked at him before his brows drew together in concentration. Together, in between secret admiring glances and soft smiles, Keith took Lance through the basics of the blade and, for the first time since Lance had gotten back to the Castle, finally took his first easy breath in a long time.

'Wait, so you're telling me you've never played 'Killbot Phantasm I: Journey to the Depths of the DemonSphere'?!' Lance gasped as they exited the training hall and made their way down the corridor.

Keith ran a hand across his forehead, wrinkling his nose at how damp it was. They'd both being going at practise equally as hard, and yet how did Lance still manage to look as fresh as a daisy whilst he sweated like a pig? It wasn't natural!

'I didn't have much downtime,' He shrugged. What between being moved between foster homes and then Shiro picking him up at the Galaxy Garrison. He smiled when Asperatia pulled back from gliding with Nuejia to settle on his shoulder and affectionately nipped his ear; pleased that he was enjoying himself with Lance as much as she was with Nuejia.

Lance shook his head, 'Dude, you missed out. Killbot was my jam as a kid. Hey, Pidge and I have a picked up a copy the last time we went to the Space Mall. We could bunk down in my room if you want to try it later?'

'Uh, I— I'm not sure I'd know how to play,' Keith awkwardly rubbed his arm.

'Don't worry about it. You teach me how to use a sword, I teach you how to slay a level-nine bubble demon. Sound good?'

'Yeah,' Keith smiled a melted, fond smile, 'sounds good.'

'Ah! Keith, there you are!' Coran waved to them as he and his Scottish terrier daemon, Amino stepped out into the corridor, 'I was wondering if you'd be able to help with something? It'll only take a tick.'

'Sure thing Coran,' Keith nodded and looked back to Lance, 'See you later?'

'Yeah, my room. Be there or be square, samurai.' Lance winked and waved him off as he left with Coran.

* * *

On the way back to the lounge, Lance raised an eyebrow at Nuejia as she flitted and danced ahead of him, 'Isn't someone in a good mood?'

'Yes! I am, and so are you! The way Keith taught you was amazing. He's amazing—' She giggled and curiously cocked her head when she came to rest on the balcony that looked down to ballroom, 'Oh, Lotor's down there.'

'Huh?' Lance returned when he came to stand beside her and saw that she was right.

At the centre of the grand hall, Lotor paced back and forth, his brow crinkled and hands held behind him. Sat on one of the many ottomans that lined the room, Valerian turned over the compass stone in his pinching black hands with a expression of mirrored frustration. He had cleaned himself up from his scrap with Asperatia, though he hadn't managed to completely get out all of the blood; his white face still retained a dark coppery tint to it.

'Lotor!'

Lotor's brows shot up, his eyes darting before they settled on Lance and relaxed, 'Ah, Lance. It's you.'

'You in a better mood now?' Lance asked as he walked down the stairs to join him on the floor. Lotor had the decency to look away ashamed.

'Yes. For my despicable lack of manners earlier, I must apologise to you profusely. I—was not myself, I do not know what kind of madness came over me to cause me to act as such.'

Lance crossed his arms, 'It's not me you should be saying sorry to, it's Keith. Like—where did  _that_  come from?'

'Words cannot convey the disappointment I feel in myself. I feel that my mind has been so preoccupied by this business of the Heart that I have neglected to properly consider my words and the effect they have on those around me. My temper…has been unacceptably dismissive,' Lotor said with remorse.

'Hey, I mean— as long as you realise that it was not cool and apologise, then it's no hard feelings right?' Lance offered, glancing, 'You know, I get that feeling that it's a normal within the Galra. Being so driven about stuff just resonates, you know? Keith's always kinda been like that…

I'm not saying it's essentially a bad thing, but— I think it can be dangerous. Like you said, people can get hurt, so it's good sometimes to take a step back. Remember what's important, you know?'

Lotor regarded him without a word, contemplating, 'Sound advise. You are wise beyond your ages.'

'Well, you know— it's nothing, really,' Lance waved away with flushed cheeks as Lotor continued to unashamedly gaze in a way that his throat tight, 'We—uh, held a party here for some Arusians back when we were first starting out.'

'I wish I had been invited to participate in such engagements in my youth. ' Lotor wistfully said.

That surprised Lance, 'Really? I thought—you being a prince and junk—it'd be the norm? Allura always said that diplomatic parties were part of the royalty gig.'

'Alas, a Galran prince is remarkably different, so much so that I doubt that the word 'diplomacy' is even in Zarkon's vocabulary,' Lotor disdained, a sneer twisting his face into a grimace before it fell, 'More times than I can count I have wished that I were born singularly Altean. Then perhaps, I would have felt more at ease in my own skin.'

Lance stared at him as a surge of pity whelmed inside his chest. 'Can you dance?' He asked suddenly, the words flying from him before he could stop them.

Lotor shoot him a baffled look, 'From a long time ago…'

'Good enough!' Lance grinned before he looked over to where their daemons groomed each other, 'Nue-nue! Play something for us, will you?'

'On it!' Nuejia sang before she flew over to the wall panel that controlled the hall's stereo system, Valerian padding after her. She pecked a button, and Lance took a deep breath in when the first orchestral notes rang out. Thankfully it was a song that he recognised.

'Do you know this one?' He asked, turning back to Lotor.

'I do,' He lowly replied, and Lance swallowed around the lump in his throat when the prince offered him his hand.

As the string instruments sang their melody, Lotor guided Lance into position, hand delicately coming to rest on his hip, other grasped his. And then, they danced.

It turned out that Lotor had been  _very_  modest when he'd said that he hadn't had much practise. He moved with the same graceful mastery of a prima ballerina; poise perfect. There was no hesitance where he placed his feet, following through each step with flawless precision. A great, yet, delicate strength there that cascaded from one sweeping flourish into the next.

As he came to spin him, Lance wandered how Lotor had learnt to. He imagined a teenage Lotor hovering on the edge of an Altean ball, watching their graceful movements, and knowing that he could never belong with them. To feel like you were meant, to be born somewhere else— _be_  someone else was an awful thing…

'Lance?' Lotor said, gently bringing Lance out of his thoughts. 'Is something wrong?'

Lance bit down on his lip. Should he tell him? Would he think it's too weird? The memory of Valerian touching his cheek, the electricity between them, and the sight of the monkey daemon and Nuejia sitting together made Lance's decision for him. He and Lotor might have once been enemies, but Lotor had saved him. They'd touched each others daemons, they'd been vulnerable to each other in the most naked way.

'Lance?'

'I've…kinda going through an identity crisis lately,' Lance admitted.

'How so?' Lotor cocked his head, not unlike Keith did.

'W-Well, turns out there's a lot of similarities between me and Allura's dad.'

'King Alfor,' Lotor hummed, 'Yes. What with your new bayard form, being the pilot of the Red Lion and your complexion, I can certainly see the resemblance'

'Complexion? You mean— I look like him?' Lance gulped, a lead weight settling in his stomach. He was hardly paying attention to the dance anymore, letting Lotor control the rhythm and flow of the waltz.

'Strikingly so. I imagine Coran has many a portrait he'd be able to show you of King Alfor when he was about your age.'

Lance let go of Lotor's hand, effectively ending the dance as the piece's crescendo tampered off to leave a sad, empty silence. And then, like a clock chiming midnight, a piece of a puzzle piece connecting, something clicked.

'I—' Lance rasped, but before he could say another word, Valerian screeched as the room exploded with blue light. Over beside the panel, Nuejia and Valerian crouched over the compass stone, now active, as it projected out a hologram of a celestial body of star systems. At it's centre of constellations, was a single pale moon labelled, 'The Heart's Cradle'.


	7. Chapter 7

As he waited on the bridge— he'd been the first to arrive post Allura's announcement that the compass stone had been cracked— Keith couldn't help but grin when Asperatia let out another dreamy sigh, 'Lance with a  _sword_ ~ Oh my gosh, how is he real?' She swooned, nuzzling Keith's cheek, 'Did you see Nuejia? Wasn't she beautiful when she did that somersault? She's so talented, they both are.'

'Yeah,' Keith rasped, unable to contain the hot air-ballon of warmth that filled his chest and made his heart swell twice it's size. He felt like he could run a marathon, take on five gladiators, and still be smiling by the end.

He turned when the doors slid open to reveal Pidge, Hunk, Shiro and Allura and their respective daemons as they walked in together.

'Hey, hey, what's with the dopey grin?' The green paladin smirked at him, Vexenon transforming into an emerald humming bird to flit beside Asperatia curiously.

'Who knows?' Keith shrugged back smug, but his good mood wasn't to last when Asperatia notified him to an observation: now the only two missing from the bridge were Lance and Lotor.

'If I catch that dirty little monkey putting his hands anywhere  _near_ Nuejia, he won't get off with just a scratch,' She hissed.

Keith's gut twisted in agreement. There was a  _swoosh!_  of air as the doors opened again. Lance and Lotor stepped in together, and Asperatia snapped her beak in his ear, talons tightening on his leather-reenforced jacket shoulder. Keith's blood boiled at the easy closeness they shared.

Why had they arrived together?

Lance nodded to him as he joined him at the Red Paladin station and Lotor drifted over to Allura and Hunk over by the control podium. On the prince's shoulder, his devil of a monkey daemon watched them, his black beady eyes glinting when Nuejia popped up from inside Lance's hoodie and settled on his shoulder.

'Hey,' Lance said, Asperatia cooing back when Nuejia also chirped hello.

Keith gave a curt nod back as he continued to scowl at Lotor, 'Hey.'

'Are you…' Lance trailed off when he followed Keith's glare, 'Oh, yeah, Lotor. Listen— about what he said at dinner—'

'Which part? The part where he said I suck with a sword, or the part where he said I was the new Zarkon?'

'It was way,  _way_ out of line— no, I know. I know— but, there's something you gotta know about Lotor.'

'You're making excuses for him?!' Keith snapped and Lance flinched.

'I just— Look, what I'm trying to say is that there's a lot going on under the hood with him, if you know what I mean.'

'He's got some major issues he's trying to work through,' Nuejia sighed before she ducked her head under her wing to groom her soft inner feathers.

'That doesn't make what he did any more acceptable!' Asperatia spat with venom.

'I'm not saying that! I— Could you please just try to keep an open mind about him when he apologises.' Lance pleaded.

'What makes you think he's gonna apologise?' Keith scoffed, folding his arms.

'Dude, come on. I'm trying to here, could you? Please? For my sake?'

Keith looked into those baby blues and something gave. He didn't want to ruin the progress they'd made by arguing with each other. He felt that they were finally starting to get close. He wasn't about to let Lotor—of  _all_  people— spoil that.

'Okay,' He relented, 'I'll try.'

'That's all I'm asking Mr Grumpy Pants,' Lance smirked before he sighed, his shoulders slumping as all the tension drained from them. 'That's all I'm asking.'

'Princess, do we have our heading?' Coran called back to Allura from the fore as she finished her conversation with Hunk. She stood up onto the podium, Aurora coming to her heels as she rested her hands on the controls.

'Yes. Lotor?'

With a press, blue light filled the room as a hologram of a star system was projected out of the compass stone. Keith squinted at the small moon at the centre labelled, 'The Heart's Cradle'.

'So, that's it then? That's where we're going?' Hunk asked.

'Seems so,' Shiro said, scratching behind Miyuzuki's ears as he did, 'Coran, plot our course. The sooner we find the Heart, the sooner we can get back to fighting back against the Galra,' He glanced at Lotor, 'No offence.'

'None taken,' Lotor waved away, his yellow eyes fixed on the holographic moon, 'let us away post-haste.'

As Allura concentrated and materialised the wormhole, Lance nudged Keith's side with his elbow, 'Guess we're gonna have to hit the pause button Killbot, huh?'

'I guess,' Keith shrugged, a knot of disappointment coiling in the pit of his stomach. With a surge forward, the Castle re-emerged on the other side of the wormhole to met with empty space, and the miniature moon: the Heart's cradle, it's surface an emulsion of lilac, white and blue clouds.

'Incredible! It does exist!' Coran laughed, Amino's tail thumping wildly with excitement.

'You, uh— wanna lift to the ground? Red'll be happy to see you again,' Lance sheepishly scratched his nose as everyone dispensed for their lions. Keith's knot eased up.

He smiled, 'Sure.'

* * *

The surface of the moon was something from another world. Lance could feel his jaw hanging open as he steered Red between the floating isles surrounding the moon. Another world, Wonderland, or something out of a dream.

Save for the sparse clatters of greenery, the Heart's Cradle was a desert moon. All it's decoration, the fairy circles of glowing crystals, the winding rivers, all of it led to a singular grand temple that sat as it's crown jewel; a crystal pyramid with a set of steps that led up to a courtyard outside it's entrance. There was something about the temple that Lance couldn't place, something that pulled on his insides, so much so that he hadn't realised that he'd been veering left until Keith nudged his hand on the controls straight again.

'Are you okay? You seem kinda…' Keith trailed off suggestively. Lance shook his head to clear it.

'Yeah. Fine, just spaced out for a sec.'

'Let's stay focused paladins. We don't know what's waiting for us in there,' Shiro crackled over the comms, the Black Lion soaring up front in the lead.

'Ooh— yeah, do you think it'll be booby-trapped?' Pidge piped up, an audile impish grin in her words.

'Nope! Nope, no, no. No, I am  _not_  about that.' Hunk squeaked.

Lance laughed with Nuejia, 'Come on Hunk, live a little! This is what being a paladin is all about!'

'Quite right. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.' Lotor chuckled over Allura's shoulder in Blue as they all came to land at the foot of the staircase.

The horrific climb up left all, save Lotor and Allura, gasping for breath and stumbling over their feet.

'Never—again,' Lance spluttered, crawling on all-fours before he  _at last_ hauled himself over the top. Nuejia, the smug thing, laughed as she flew circles around his head in imitation of a knocked-out cartoon character.

'Whose—idea—was it—to land—at the bottom—of the steps?' Keith wheezed out between pants doubled over.

'Go on without me. Just leave me here forever,' Pidge mumbled face-down on the ground, mirroring Hunk's collapsed state.

'Come on guys, it wasn't—that bad.' Shiro heaved, his legs wobbling as he tried to stand up straight and disguise just how out of breath he was. With a prolonged, dramatic groan, Lance heaved himself to his feet and looked properly at his surroundings.

A mosaic courtyard stretched before them leading up to the entrance of the temple. Sculptors of kneeling Alteans lined the yard, and about a few feet away from the top of the stairs, curiously, was a tiered fountain; lined up along it's curved bowl's rim were a number of clear goblets.

Nuejia flitted ahead of him as he made his way over for a closer look.

'Curious,' Lotor remarked, coming to stand alongside him. On his shoulder, Valerian offered a wave with a toothy grin that caused Lance to smile back.

'But what could a fountain be doing here?' Allura asked as the rest of them and their daemons gathered around the water feature, 'Could it be one of those "boobytraps" that you mentioned, Pidge?'

'I mean—It  _could_  be.' Pidge shrugged.

'Or—or—or—hear me out—it's simply a well-placed refreshing hydration station for weary paladins, who've just climbed a bajillion steps!' Hunk countered, hand already reaching for a goblet, tongue darting out to lick his dry lips.

'Hunk, maybe you shouldn't—' Keith warned too late as Hunk dipped the goblet below the rippling water. No sooner he had, a deep rumble like that of thunder rolling in boomed from below their feet. Lance gawked as Altean statues' eyes flashed with a blue-white light and they stood to attention.

'Everyone, group up!' Shiro cried and everyone scrambled into formation, bayards activating with flashes of light and daemons riling for action; hair, fur bristled on end, lips pulled back to expose fangs, claws and talons extended bare to attack.

The harshness grinding of stone on stone grumbled as the three Altean statues—two males and one female— walked forward out of their post and approached them, their faces fixed and bō staffs held neutral at their sides.

'Uh,' Lance minutely lowered his guard when neither party said a word, 'We— are we good?'

'Declare yourself outsiders. Who are you, and what purpose brings you to this sacred place?' The female Altean in the middle demanded.

Allura stepped forward, holding the compass stone out, 'I am Princess Allura, here with the paladins of Voltron and prince Lotor. We seek knowledge, to learn the secrets of quintessence and the Heart.'

'If you seek the Heart, then you seek access into the temple. To earn access to the temple, you must pass our trial.'

'What is this trial?' Lotor asked.

The stone woman pointed to the fountain before them, 'You must take the blessed water from that fountain,' she turned and then pointed to the entrance of the temple, where a ornate basin of rock had emerged from the ground, 'and deposit it into that basin. The trial will commence once every participant wields a filled goblet. You will have only one chance each to complete the trial.'

'Sounds simple enough,' Pidge scoffed, and then paled when the statues snapped into stance, ready to attack, 'Oh quizack.'

'Okay, so what's the plan here?' Lance asked as he filled his goblet, holding it tight with both hands as they all reshuffled with their water into a long line.

'Only one person has to get their water in the basin, right?' Keith clarified on Lance's right. Above, Asperatia, Nuejia, Vexenon and Kala'ina had taken to the air for a bird's eye view of their arena, feeding info back to their other halves like intelligence droids. On the ground, Aurora, Miyuzuki and Valerian paced at their person's heels, alert and ready to run.

'Right Keith,' Shiro nodded, 'Stay calm team. We have the numbers advance, now we—'

'AHHH! Look out!' Hunk screamed when the statues sprung, breaking the formation's line as they were forced to scatter.

'They're fast!' Lance yelped as he back-peddled, palm quick to cover his cup to keep the water from lurching out. Within seconds flat, they'd gone from united and coordinated, to utter chaos.

'I'm going for it!' Pidge yelled before she made a break for the basin.

'Pidge!' Allura cried out, but her warning came too late as one of the male statues raced to incept the green paladin. With a tumbling flourish of it's staff, it swept Pidge's ankles from under her, before it reversed the trajectory and whacked her to the ground. Her goblet clattered out of her loose hand, spilling it's precious contents.

'You have failed! You are unworthy of the knowledge you seek!' The statue accused before it turned back for the rest of them.

And the rest of them were getting picked off like flies. Hunk's cup was knocked aside when he was grappled and thrown like a bowling ball into Shiro and Allura, who had picked the worst time to pair up, knocking their cups out of their hands as well.

'No! Lotor, Keith, Lance, you have to make a run for it!' Allura shouted as Aurora attempted to assist in pulling her out from under the dog pile. 'You're our last chance!'

'We can't beat a three on three!' Keith gritted his teeth, feet continually being forced back as the other male statue marched toward him, staff twirling threateningly.

Lance squinted his eyes as he estimated the distance between them and the basin. A plan began to form. No, they wouldn't be able to beat a three on three, but if…

'It'll work!' Nuejia fluttered down to him encouragingly, and Lance nodded before he looked to Keith and Lotor, both who were doing everything they could to avoid being hit.

'Guys! Guys I have a plan!'

'What is it?' Lotor ducked as a staff whistled for his head, causing his cup's water to slosh dangerously steep.

'I— You're gonna have to trust me!' Lance called back, knowing full well that any plan he shouted out would be immediately countered. No, for the plan to work, they needed the element of surprise. His crypt response was enough to cause Lotor to pause.

'Lance, you cannot expect—' But Lotor never got to finish as the male statues double-teamed him, one going high and the other going low to knock him flat on his back.

Two left. Now or never.

'Keith, I can do this! You gotta trust me, please!' Lance pleaded, backing up as the statues decided it was his time.

Purple eyes met blue, steady and assured.

'I do,' Keith said, and Lance knew he meant it. Over their heads, Nuejia and Asperatia sang and shrieked their approval. 'Tell me what to do.'

'Run in front of me and get ready to give me a boast!' Lance yelled and began to run. Immediately, Keith was off. He over took him with effortless acceleration, running before Lance like a vanguard.

The statues spun their staffs, and then rushed to clash with them. Breathing hard, Lance waited until they were  _just_  close enough before he signalled, 'NOW!'

Unflinching, nerves of steel, even as three towering statues of solid rock charged for him, Keith threw aside his goblet, pivoted—heels drilling in the dirt— and laced his palms together. Perfectly in synch, as though they'd practised the manoeuvre their entire lives, Lance leapt, planted his foot and ignited his jetpack as Keith launched him above the statues' heads as they descended upon him.

The temple's guardians realised too late as Lance's feet touched the ground and he pelted in a hard sprint, the stretch home free. He tipped his head back, and pushed his legs harder, the distance between him and the basin rapidly closing.

'No!' The female statue shrilled, and Lance nearly choked when something slammed into his back, hard enough to lift him off his feet. His breastplate smashed against the basin's lip, and a cold smooth hand pinned his head inside it, the statue's other hand wrenching Lance's arm that held the cup away, locking it out painfully.

'You have lost, child. You have failed to bring the blessed water to the basin and win the trial.' The statue announced, and that was when Lance decided to let go of his cup.

The statue frowned when it bounced empty, no water inside, 'What—'

Lance grinned a toothy grin, and the blessed water he'd been holding in his mouth poured out into the basin, 'Oh? You haven't heard?'

For a moment, the statue's face was simply stared at him, stunned, before an amused smile softened it's hard features.

'Well played, young one. Well played. You and your companions may enter the temple. Take care of what you may find in there.' It said and released him. Lance winced and rubbed his sore cheek, giggling when Nuejia ecstatically began to pepper it with kisses. The rest of the team ran to join him, all with a stupefied expression of awe. He was ran over a second time when Hunk collided with him to engulf him in a smothering bear-hug.

'OMG, that—was—amazing!' The yellow paladin bounced with him on the spot like an overexcited puppy.

'Yeah, where did you pull  _that_  from?!' Pidge joined in, hazel eyes sparkling.

'That was truly fantastic Lance!' Allura beamed as Shiro smiled and shot him a approving 'good work' nod at him.

Lance's ears turned red and he sheepishly scratched his nose, 'Ha— I mean, it was a team effort. I wouldn't have been able to pull it off without Keith.'

Asperatia shrilled as she glided down to perch on Keith's shoulder, her other half's cheeks flushed as he stared back with an agape mouth. There was something indescribable in the way Keith looked at him, something that made Lance's stomach grow warm and flutter. It was the same look as when he'd questioned his declaration about being the 'cool, ninja sharpshooter' of the team; the same heated way when they'd spoken in his bedroom after Lance had gone to him about stepping down; a soft, melted fondness.

'It was remarkable Lance. My congratulations.' Lotor smiled as he took a step forward, subtly but effectively isolating Keith from the group. A line creased between Lance's brows.

Oh nu-uh was that happening on his watch.

'Well, like I said,' Lance stepped around the Galran prince and slung his arm over Keith's shoulders, Asperatia taking to the skies to fly with Nuejia who was calling to her, 'It was a team effort. Team Klance.'

Lotor blinked, before he frowned between them, seemingly more bemused than anything, 'Then, a congratulations to the both of you, I suppose…'

Lance looked to Keith, who wasn't even trying to hide his smugness. His face said it all: he'd take this over some half-arsed apology any day.

'Right then, I suggest we get moving. That temple isn't going to explore itself.' Shiro rallied, breaking the suspended awkward moment that followed after as Lotor and Keith refused to break eye contact.

There was a bobbing of heads before they all turned for the temple's entrance, the stone wall that had previously been blocking the way, now gone.

Lance found himself matching Keith's pace, and that had them drifting toward the back of the group when they stepped across the threshold and began to descend down set of stairs underground.

'So—uh, what's "Klance"?' Keith spoke up with a raised brow and half-smirk.

'Klance, You know, Keith and Lance. It's our names— it's like our team name. Do you— do you not like it?' Lance worried, suddenly very conscious of how narrow the walls were. Were they getting narrower?

Keith shook his head, brow furrowed, 'No, no, just— if it's meant to be our names, then wouldn't it be something like, "Laith"? make more sense?'

'Why?'

'Because with Klance, I only get one letter!'

'But Klance rolls off the tongue,' Lance argued and smiled when Nuejia fluttered onto his head and began tugging at his dark curls, 'Hey, Nue-Nue, Klance or Laith for a team name?'

'Oh,  _definitely_ Klance. It just rolls off the tongue, don't you think?' His daemon agreed, and there was a swoosh of wind as Asperatia looped back from the front to land on Keith's shoulder pad.

'Laith does come with some pleasing meanings attached, like "brave" and "lion". But I do agree with Nuejia, Klance is better.' She said.

'Of course you would,' Lance swore he heard Keith mutter beneath his breath.

The bottom of the stairs opened up into a tall chamber lit up by candles with blue flames. It was bizarre to expect the air to be stale and stuffy from being underground, but instead, it was as clean and crisp of that on a winter's day.

Painted onto the left wall, and mirrored onto the one running parallel, was a beautiful mural. Though Lance couldn't make much sense of most of it, he appreciated it's visuals, liking them to the carvings in the cave they found the Blue Lion in.

The long interweaving lines of Altean text reminded him of the water cycle he learnt about back in middle school; water was an element moved endlessly through cycle after cycle as rain clouds, storms, snow, ice, rivers, lakes, oceans, and then back to clouds; the same element, different forms.

'It's beautiful.' He awed and was tempted to trace his fingertips over the white crash of the waves.

'Isn't it?' Lotor smiled before he came closer to examine the glyphs etched along the border. 'Allura, what do you make of these inscriptions?'

'Difficult to say. It appears to be some ancient form of Altean scripture. I mostly slept through my ancients classes, but I may be able to pick apart some of this.' Allura sighed, shining her wrist light on the mural for a better look.

'Should, we, uh— come back later then?' Pidge deadpanned when neither Allura nor Lotor replied, too intrigued in the mural.

Shiro turned to the rest of them, 'Looks like this is gonna take a while. Maybe you guys should see if you can find anything else down here.' He suggested with a nod towards the archway at the other end of the chamber.

'Yeah, because creeping around an old dusty temple is my kinda fun,' Hunk moaned, 'Come on guys, we've watched enough horror movies to know the golden rule: Never split the party.'

Lance playfully nudged him in the ribs with his elbow, 'Relax Hunk, it'll be fun! We'll be like— sexy tomb raiders.'

'Wait, I thought this was a temple, not a tomb!' Hunk squealed even as they began walking for the archway, leaving Lotor, Allura and Shiro with the mural.

'Technically it could be both. We don't know, someone could have died down here.' Pidge smirked, Vexenon a laughing hyena as he padded alongside her.

Hunk frantically shook his head, 'Oh no. I'm getting flashbacks to that Altean alternate-reality.'

'Yeah, that was not a fun time,' Lance shuddered, 'Still, I'm glad that Sven and Slav made it out okay. That guy took a freaking bullet for me.'

The corridor through the archway took them into an even larger room than then the mural chamber, this one having a catwalk that crossed from one ledge to another. The slabbed floor was indented by a grid network of running water channels, and there were two doors, a larger one to the north and the other to the east; the former was accented by two more blue lanterns.

'What exactly are we looking for here?' Keith asked as he watched Asperatia scout about the room, Nuejia and Kala'ina trying to match her agile swiftness.

'Dunno. Whatever Shiro defines as "interesting" or "Hearty",' Lance shrugged and squinted at the tiled waterfall on the wall.

'Think he'd consider altean ghosts interesting?' Pidge snickered.

Hunk screwed his nose up at her, 'Not funny.'

'It starts when you start hearing things. They'll call your name—  _Hunk_. Huuuunnnkkk~' Lance wailed.

'Keeeiith~ Laaannccee~' Pidge chimed in.

'Guys, come on.' Keith said.

'Yes. Thank you, Keith.' Hunk breathed.

Then Keith's lips curled into a wicked smirk, 'A ghost would be more like, HHuunNKK! LLaaaaaNNCEee, I—am—haunting—yoooouu. You should of never—oooohh—come here!'

'Nooo.' Hunk moaned and Keith laughed as he dodged a shove. Over by the largest door, Pidge jogged over, and after a quick inspection, waved over to them.

'Guys, I think we can pry this open!' She called out. Hunk shot Keith a final dirty look before he shuffled over to help.

Before Lance could follow alongside Keith, Nuejia flew off his shoulder and darted over to the east door, cocking her head to it as though listening hard.

'Lance— Lance, can you hear this?' She asked and Lance walked over to her and pressed his ear against the cool stone.

At first, he heard nothing, nothing but the faint low whistle of wind. And then, sighed as a breath—

' _Lance_.'

Lance jerked back from the door as though it had scolded him.

No. No way.

Tentatively, he lowered himself back to it with a shiver down his spine.

Nothing. Only the same whisper of a breeze through a crack.

'LANCE! You gonna get over here, or what?' Pidge yelled, causing Lance to jump and quickly step away, still with shiver, to join him at the other door.

'You're sure you're okay?' Keith asked, remembering how he'd seen the same look on him when they'd first entered the moon's atmosphere. Lance grabbed a door and braced to heave.

'Yeah. It's nothing.' He muttered and averted his gaze when Keith stared dubiously at him.

'Okay. One—two—three—heave!' Hunk signalled and the doors groaned as they were stiffly pried open. Inside, a draft blew dry air against their faces, and at the end, there was a small lotus flower with a bluebell flame at it's centre.

Pidge gulped, 'So…who wants to go first?'

Screwing his courage to the sticking place, Lance took the lead and stepped through, taking small comfort how Nuejia nuzzled reassuringly against his neck. His footsteps echoed off the walls.

'A mirror?' He questioned upon reaching the end of the hallway. He stretched his fingertips out to touch the cold smooth surface, his reflection doing the same. There was a scuffle behind him.

'Uh, Lance?' Hunk said with confused slowness, 'There's nothing there. It's just a dead end.'

'No, it's—you guys—you don't see this?' Lance frowned and felt Keith come to stand beside him and place his own hand against the mirror.

'You see a mirror?' He asked with thick brows pulled together. Lance couldn't believe what he was hearing. It was right in front of them! How could they not see this?

'Yeah! Yeah, it's right here! I'm touching it right—' Lance's words died in his throat when a hand—more specifically, his reflection's hand—reached through the mirror and clamped around his wrist. For what seemed an long moment, he was too stunned to scream. And then—

' _AHHHH!_ '

'What the?!'

'That I see!'

'It's pulling me in!' Lance shrieked as the hand began to do just that, slowly and unyieldingly drawing him in, his wrist sinking into the mirror by the second. Arms grabbed onto him, but the combined efforts of the paladins did nothing.

'Asperatia! Get help!' Keith barked, and the golden-eagle daemon immediately shot off the way they came.

'Pull harder!' Lance cried, the strain on his arm and shoulder feeling at though it were about to be torn off.

'I am!' Hunk panted, bracing a feet up against the wall for leverage to no avail.

'Whoa! I—There's something on the other side—' And then with a hard yank, Lance and Nuejia were ripped from their grips to be swallowed by the mirror.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 8! Yeah, so- ahem, this has been a long time coming.
> 
> Honestly, I apologise for such a long wait. As per usual, life is mad... but there's also two big other reasons why I've been on a break with this story.
> 
> 1.) I was struck by inspiration, and began outlining a massive, massive epic for another Voltron action, thriller story, military AU. Like, it's frankly consumed my brain and I can't leave it alone. I'm sure fellow writers can relate, when you just get that perfect idea and it runs away with you that you can't stop. Well, that's what's been in works all this time, and as I'm coming to finishing the colossal outlining stage, I will be so hyped to share it with you all. It's been my passion project for so long and I can't wait to share it :D
> 
> And now, a more depressing reason,
> 
> 2.) Voltron Season 7... Yeah, I really wasn't happy with season 7 when it aired. There were so many flaws and issues I had with it, that I was unbelievably salty- like, Dead Sea levels of Salt. Pacing, characterisation, Allurance coming out of nowhere with the subtlety and nuisance of a freight train, just... I have no words. Combined with what the writers did with Adam, how they hyped him and Shiro up at the cons and revelled in the praise, whilst knowing what they had planned for him. Nah. That's not okay.
> 
> In truth, I am done with being played like Boo boo the fool by them. So now I'm just tired, I'm not going to get myself worked up over possible Klance meta and theories (though they are god's gift and their optimism is amazing) about how it could be endgame, because I have lost faith in the writers. I don't trust them, and I don't trust any interviews that they've done in the past, because they've proven that they can't be taken by their word.
> 
> I don't know, friends. Like I said, I'm tired. But what I will say, is that even if Voltron doesn't miraculously pull a Korrasami moment and confirm Klance at the last moment, I will continue writing for this ship. To me, and many others, they are perfect for each other, absolutely perfect.
> 
> And if DW is too cowardly to make Klance cannon king, *cracks knuckles*, then fine. I'll do it myself.
> 
> Enjoy this chapter ;)

'Here, "Same life, same substance, different form. Cyclic".' Allura translated as she peered hard at the ancient altean runes, embarrassingly rusty on her linguistics. How ironic that she only now understand her mother's frustration when she refused to pay attention in her studies. Aurora rubbed up against her leg, softly grumbling as she encouraged her to keep looking. The team was relying on her, everyone was.

'I have more of the same over here,' Lotor replied with an exasperated tut at the other end of the mural.

'There's something on the ceiling,' Shiro spoke up and pointed up to a line of enlarged scripture had been carved into the stone above their heads.

'"The Heart will lead the way"?' Allura read aloud and gasped when the chamber shook and the mural's runes lit up with white light.

'Welcome sister, and praise be, for you have completed your duty,' A cool presence brushed against their minds, a woman's voice that sounded similar to the altean statue they had fought outside.

Allura shared a glance with Lotor and Shiro before she looked to the mural, 'What do you mean by that?'

'It is the sacred duty of the Life Givers to guide and protect the Heart.'

'Actually, that is what we came here for. What is the Heart?' Lotor asked.

'The Heart is the balance of all life in the universe. It is hope, and it is despair.'

'Well, that's frustratingly vague.' Shiro muttered beneath his breath.

'You stand in the Heart's Cradle, the place where the Life Stream brought birthed the Heart to bring balance to universe. As to what the Heart is, it is as you read: it is of the same substance in different forms,' The woman went on.

Lotor touched his fist to his chin thoughtfully. 'The Heart is like the water depicted in the mural,' He deduced.

'Indeed. The Heart is ever changing, yet unchanging, reincarnating through form after form in life eternal.'

'But what exactly  _is_ the Heart? You said that I have guided it, but we haven't brought anything here save ourselves,' Allura questioned.

A musical chuckle resounded through their minds, 'The Heart is closer than you believe. It is inside the temple's inner sanctuary as we speak.'

Shiro opened his mouth to speak, but before he could get a word out, there was a piercing shriek as Asperatia soared into the room.

'Lance! Nuejia! They're gone!'

'Lead us!' Lotor demanded and Allura was quick on his and Shiro's heels as they ran after the golden eagle, too blinded by panic to catch the woman's final words as her presence left the chamber.

'There will be an awakening.'

* * *

Lance started awake with a gasp. It was dark, and he shivered against the cold stone floor he lay on. There was a low whistle of wind through a crack, and the steady trickle of running water.

As he shakily sat upright, Lance saw that he was in a pearlised chamber dimly lit by torches of bluebell flame. The mirror his reflection had dragged him through was behind him—Lance scuttled away from it with a yelp— and there was an archway leading into an airy corridor on the opposite wall.

'Nuejia!' Lance cried out as he staggered to his feet, heart catching in his throat as he desperately searched for his daemon.

'Lance!' Lance turned just in time to have her crushed herself against him. She flew up and sobbed as she nuzzled against his cheek, Lance bringing up his hands to cradle her. 'Oh Lance! Lance, what are we going to do? Where are we? Why are we here?'

'I don't know baby-girl, but tell you what— I am  _never_  looking in a mirror again,' Lance shuddered as he backed away from said mirror.

Despite her sobbing, Nuejia gave a hiccuped giggle, 'We both know that's a lie.' She followed Lance's stare and then sighed, 'Well— one thing's certain, we can't get back the way we came.'

As he looked around the chamber, Lance noticed that, like at the entrance of the temple, the walls were paintings of water; people drowning in tsunamis and floods, rain showering crops, aquatic creatures swimming in great oceans, worshippers kneeling before a geyser, and so on.

'Wow. These Alteans seriously went to hundred on the whole water temple theme. More than that impossible water dungeon from Dad's old video game,' He said.

Nuejia cocked her head at him, 'The Legend of…something— right?'

'Yeah, it's like they're obsessed with it.'

'Maybe it means something? Something connected to the Heart?' Nuejia suggested. 'I mean— this is it's temple, it's "cradle".'

'With the trial to get in and all of this,' Lance gestured to their surroundings, 'I'd say that's a good guess.' He took a deep breath and started for the dark corridor.

'Lance, you sure this is a good idea? What— what if the others get through and we're not here?' Nuejia whimpered on his shoulder.

'We can't take that chance, Nue-Nue. We have to try and find a way out, and besides— if they do get through, there's only one way they can go,' Lance nodded to in the direction of the corridor. Nuejia's head bowed in defeat, and he smiled before he tucked his chin in and kissed her.

_'Lance.'_

Lance froze, eyes wide as they stared down the corridor, 'Nuejia, please tell me I imagined that.'

'No. I heard it to,' Nuejia squeaked and made herself small in his collar. 'Lance, I don't like this.'

'I know, I know.'

'You don't really think it's a ghost do you?'

'If it is, it's a ghost that knows my name,' Lance shuddered.

'That's even worse! Oh, I wish the others were here. Especially Keith and Asperatia. She'd know what to say,' Nuejia puffed herself up into an angry ball of fluff to imitate the larger daemon. She deepened her voice, 'Nuejia. I will protect you. Look at my big beak and sharp talons.'

'Pfft, what is she gonna do against a ghost? They don't have bodies.'

'Well, what are you going to do then if we run into a ghost?' Nuejia ruffled her feathers.

'Easy-peasy, I know an exorcism chant.'

'No!'

'"Hocus-pocus-I-ain't-scared-of-no-ghostis!".' Lance grinned, only to drop it when a cold shiver rippled down his spine.

Ahead, the shadows shifted, and a cloaked figure stepped out of them.

'Oh my god— Oh my god— Oh-my-god,' Nuejia began to hyperventilate.

'Hush Nuejia,' Lance whispered, taunt as he watched the figure pause to look his way, then turned and walked away down the corridor. 'I— I think it wants us to follow it.'

'No! We are not following another voice in the dark! I  _distinctly_ remember the part where we almost got sucked out of the airlock doing that,' She hissed when Lance started forward and began to follow the shrouded figure, 'Lance!"

But Lance wasn't listening, far away as he staggered after the spirit. The hook, the same he'd felt flying down to the temple, twisted his heart and reeled him closer like a fish helpless on the line.

_'Lance.'_

The spirit led him deeper into the temple. The corridor opened up, blue-white light causing Lance to squint as he stepped into a crystal chamber.

In the chamber, the air was frigid, and sprouting from the walls and ceiling were giant crystals that glittered like frosted icicles. A steaming rock-pool— about the same size and depth of a large bath— stood against a smoothened plane of crystal so clear that it could have been a mirror.

Lance's breath caught in his throat when the cold air blew against his face and woke him from his dazed trance, 'Wh—What? What's going on? Where am I?' He squawked whipping his head from side to side.

Nuejia flew out of his collar and up to his face, 'Ghost!'

'Lance, Nuejia, you need not fear me. This is the inner sanctuary of the Heart's Cradle, and you are safe here,' The cloaked figure said as he stopped and turned to face them.

'You know me?' Lance tensed defensively with his fists clenched.

The cloaked figure let out a breathy, sad laugh, 'Yes. As you know me.' The figure then reached up and lowered his hood, to reveal a face Lance did indeed know.

'King Alfor?!' Nuejia exclaimed for the both of them as Lance's jaw hit the floor, his brain short-circuiting. 'What— You—  _How?!_ '

'I imagine this is quite shocking for you.' Alfor nodded, and Lance had to mentally reboot before he could begin to form words again.

'I— Y-Yeah! You can kinda say that! You— Why are you here? Here of all places?' Lance blurted.

An aged, faraway passed over Alfor's gaze, 'I am…connected to this place.'

'This place— So you must know about the Heart then!' Nuejia pieced together with triumph.

'Lance, Nuejia, have you seen the temple's murals?'

'Yeah. At the entrance and in the corridor we just came from. They're all water-themed and junk.' Lance answered.

'And do you understand them?'

Lance opened his mouth, and then closed it, 'Uh, no.'

Alfor brought his hands together in front of his, entwining the fingers like a prayer. 'Those murals tell the story and history of the Heart,' He elaborated,

'You see the universe is governed by the forces of light and dark, the Life Stream where all quintessence and life steams, and the Darkness that destroys and devours. The Heart is of the Life Stream and it was created to maintain the balance of the cycle of life and death of the universe.'

'Okay, but what  _is_ the Heart? I mean, you said that those murals,' Lance mimicked the motion of a wave, 'is the story of the Heart. But to me, it just looks like the water cycle I learnt about in middle school.'

'If that will help you understand, then yes,' Alfor nodded. 'The Heart is the element of water, and continually shifts through many forms, whilst always staying the same. It had the ability to grow and soothe, like the rain. But it can also destroy and bite, like the storm and the blizzard.'

Lance bit down on his lip as he ran over the king's explanation, 'So kinda like the ocean, yeah? The ocean's filled with life, but it's also dangerous. My mom taught me how to surf the waves, and she also taught me that you have to respect the tides or they'll ear you apart. You might think you're good, but a riptide can sneak up on you and drag you out to sea into freezing waters. Or worse, bash you against the rocks.'

'Yes. The Heart is the same, beautiful…yet terrible,' Alfor agreed with a nod.

'Your Majesty, I know I've asked you this already, but I  _really_ need a clear answer now. What is the Heart? Definitively, no more vague, metaphorical stuff. Is it physical? Can I see it?' Lance asked.

Alfor looked at him, and then he let out a long sigh, 'Very well Lance…The Heart is quintessence, a spiritual essence. In other words, a soul.'

'A soul?! Not some ancient relic?' Nuejia gasped.

Alfor shook his head, 'No, sweet Nuejia. It is an eternal, undying soul, one that is reincarnated over many lifetimes into a new body. Just like water: different, but the same.'

'Reincarnated.' Lance breathed, his breath a hot cloud in the cool crystal chamber.

'It has been the Life Giver's duty to protect the Heart, so that the balance of the universe remains just so. In a way, the Heart and Voltron work in unison to defend that balance.'

Lance shook his head, trying to settle the whirlwind of thoughts inside, 'Right. Okay— okay, so the Heart, this soul reincarnated into a person, is out there somewhere in space? Just our luck,' He groaned with a fold of his arms, and then frowned when Alfor smiled a sad smile. 'What?'

'No, Lance. Not somewhere. It's right here, in this temple,' He said stepping forward to stand before Lance, causing him to crane his neck up to keep eye contact.

'Huh?'

With the same sad smile, Alfor placed both of his hands on Lance's shoulders, and said nothing.

After a long, long pause, the piece clicked, and Lance averted his gaze as he laughed nervously, 'Okay— Ha, ha very funny, Your Majesty. Good one.'

But Alfor did not laugh. He just continued to look at Lance with the same heart-broken stare.

Icy water trickled down Lance's back, a wave of nausea crashing over him, 'No, seriously. I'm not kidding, that's not funny.'

'Lance—'

'No,' Lance slapped his hands off his shoulders and wheeled back, 'No, no, you're wrong. This is some sick joke. Some hallucination— I'm dreaming— I hit my head too hard and this is all in my head.'

'Lance, it is the truth. You are the Heart, and the reason that I am able to appear before you, is because you and I share the same soul. You are the Heart's newest incarnation, Nuejia was named so: Nue— new, Jia— heart.'

'That can't be!' Nuejia cried out as she quivered against Lance's neck.

Lance hadn't realised he'd been back-peddling until his back hit the chamber wall. His legs couldn't stop shaking as he slid down it to the floor, 'This— This isn't happening. I— I'm not you, I'm not—'

'You have wondered aloud about the striking similarities between you and I. Piloting the Red Lion, the connection you felt to Allura, unlocking the Red Bayard's Altean broadsword, my sword,' Alfor came closer and took a knee to level with Lance, 'You have said it yourself, Lance. There is a connection between us.'

Lance was shuddering now, and when he opened his mouth, a hysterical, high laugh came out, 'That wasn't meant to mean anything! It—  _Ha_ — It was just a—'

'Coincidence?' Alfor sceptically finished for him and shook his head, 'There are no coincidences, not in this case. Now, I know you are scared Lance,' Lance let out another hysterical laugh, 'but there is much you must learn, and we have little time. I would like to ask you to step into the pool.'

'No. Get away from me. You're crazy if you think I'm going to—' Lance choked on his words when Alfor touched a finger to his forehead, and all thought, all will was wiped from his mind.

'Forgive me Lance,' Alfor said as he rose, Lance rising up with him like a sleepwalker, his eyes glassy and unseeing. 'But as I said, we have precious little time.'

Alfor walked Lance over to the steaming crystal pool, taking care to remove a frozen Nuejia from his collar and set her down on the rim. The warm water lapped at their waists, and Alfor briefly closed his eyes, steeling himself for what came next, before he moved one hand to the crown of Lance's head, and placed the other above his heart.

'Awaken,' He said, and then, as a priest would baptise, dunked Lance below the water.

* * *

'Keith. KEITH!'

Keith froze, his arm raised mid-strike from his frenzied attack on the wall that had swallowed Lance. Slowly, he turned to see Pidge, Hunk, and now Allura, Lotor, Shiro and their daemons all staring at him with wide eyes. From above, Asperatia keened as she swooped down and rubbed herself up against his neck.

'Lance, he—' He rasped between pants.

'Where is he?' Shiro asked carefully, as though the wrong question would frighten him.

'Lance said that he saw a mirror on this wall, but it's just rock! He— he touched it, and then he got sucked through,' Pidge spoke out, clutching Vexenon in her hands.

Lotor strode forward and pressed his hands against the cool stone to find it solid, 'You say he passed  _through_  it?'

'Guys, what— what do we do?' Hunk pleaded, looking desperately between Shiro and Allura. 'We— how do we— what do we  _do?_ '

Allura's mouth fell open and closed before a hard line set her brow and she turned to Pidge, 'Tell us everything, from start to finish.'

As they closed ranks around Pidge, Keith felt himself drift away from them, an empty hollowness carving itself out of his chest. The memory of how Lance had been wrenched from his grasp replayed over and over in his mind; now numbing it was to know that one second he was there, the next he— wasn't.

'Keith,' Asperatia cooed through their bond, and Keith lowered his heavy gaze to the small lotus flower on the floor beside them. It's bluebell flame bobbing merrily oblivious to his anguish. 'Look closer.'

When he did, Keith realised what she meant. What was odd about the flame wasn't that it was blue, was it because it wasn't burning straight up. Rather, it blew to the right, as though some invisible breeze was directing it so.

He knelt down and picked it up, holding it delicately on open palms. Only, when he shifted upright again, peering at it, Keith gasped when the flame flickered and swung slightly to the left.

'It's like a compass needle,' He muttered to his daemon, and Asperatia blinked her intelligent yellow eyes at him.

'Let's follow it.' She urged, and so, without making a sound, Keith did just that. So focused on the flame as he was, he did not notice how it led him directly into the shadows, nor how he somehow passed through them without a trace; the strange magic that cohabited the temple drawing him deeper and deeper into it's depths.

**Author's Note:**

> Alright guys, that was the first chapter! Hope you enjoyed it! Currently editing the second, and subsquently outlining the others. I estimate that there'll be about six or seven chapters total? Keep it short and sweet.
> 
> If you liked this start, please, please let me know what you thought. I adore hearing from you all. Do you like the length? Would you rather shorter chapters? Let me know.
> 
> Once again, thank you for reading, and as always, until next time folks!


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